Land Below the Waves
by Hailsy
Summary: New graduate Hiccup heads home to Berk where he will work at the Berk Aquarium. Here among the pressures of a new job comes pressure from his father to give it all up and join the family fishing business. But things may just be working out in Hiccup's favour- or at least they were before a shady new character turns up, threatening everything Hiccup holds dear. ModernAU
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I've decided to try my hand at a multichap work for the HTTYD fandom (I don't count my uni au as a multichap. It's more drabbles in chronological order.)

Think of this as a HTTYD 1 and 2 mash up with Dolphin Tale which I watched last week. It's been stuck in my head ever since so I started writing. My aim with this is to post a chapter a week, so expect chapter two next Monday. This chapter is more of an opening between Hiccup and Stoick and you'll meet the rest of the gang in Chapter Two.

I'll still be writing drabbles for my University AU occasionally, but I'm going to focus on this story for now.

* * *

It was three in the balmy afternoon when Henry 'Hiccup' Haddock rose from his seat on the bus to stumble his way down the aisle and down the steps into the fresh briny air of Berk.

Home.

Well… the place where he grew up.

It had never really felt like home, which was why he had fled at the first opportunity. Applying for whichever university was furthest away, he'd left just after his eighteenth birthday and hadn't looked back.

Until now.

Now, Hiccup had graduated from that university with a degree in Engineering and Marine Sciences. He'd had dreams of becoming a Marine Biologist studying oceans around the world. Maybe he'd work for a high profile organisation, protecting marine environments, and his dad would finally get off his back about finding a 'real' job.

Unfortunately, many of these dreams involved unpaid internships and volunteer work to get started, but day-to-day living expenses required a steady income. So Hiccup had applied for, and received a position at the small, rather run down aquarium in his home town.

Hiccup stretched his legs as he waited for his bag to be retrieved from the bowels of the baggage compartment. Six hours in such a cramped space had not been kind to his lanky figure.

With a mumbled "thanks" to the bus driver, Hiccup shouldered his pack and began the forty minute walk from the main street of town to his father's house.

"I wonder what he'll say." Hiccup had a tendency to talk to himself. "Surprised no doubt." Hiccup had failed to mention his return during the last short phone call he had shared with his father.

He turned off the main street, following the road up the steep incline and away from the shops. From here he could see bits of the harbour behind the buildings. By the time he had reached the crest of the hill Berk Harbour was spread out behind him.

Panting from exertion, Hiccup paused to take in the view. It had been a few years since he had had to make that climb, but the scenery was just as magnificent as ever.

Berk was a small town, it's main industry was fishing and according to Hiccup's father, the Haddock's had been doing the fishing since the land was first settled upon. Something about the deep cove and sheltered harbour. Hiccup hadn't been listening.

Stoick had spent many years trying to get his only child interested in the family business. "It's in our blood," he'd told a young Hiccup. "It's in our very name." It was an old argument.

Hiccup resumed walking. No doubt the argument would start up again. He was a scientist. His new job was to study the ocean, to protect it and the creatures within! Not trawl it bare with a net!

He turned onto his street, dragging his feet for the last hundred yards to the driveway. It was finally here, the moment he had been dreading for months. Digging his keys from the bottom of his bag, he walked up to the door.

Deep breath.

Insert key.

Turn knob.

"Dad?"

His voice echoed up the hallway.

"Anyone home?"

The sound of his sneakers, squeaking against the wooden floorboards was the only sound to greet him.

"Figures."

Hiccup made his way up to his room at the back of the house. It was exactly how he had left it. Scribbles littered the small cluttered desk. Pens and pencils lay scattered. Hiccup dropped his bag onto the floor and kicked off his shoes. He moved to the bed to flop, exhausted after his long trip.

"Welcome home Hiccup." Hiccup shut his eyes. He could unpack his small gathering of possessions later.

...

Hiccup was woken with a jolt at the sound of the front door slamming. His father was not a small man and his footsteps reverberated up the hallway. Hiccup was sure they'd continue all the way up to his room before remembering that his Dad had no way of knowing he was home.

Scrubbing sleep from his eyes, Hiccup decided he may as well get this over with.

Late afternoon sun still filtered in through his window, casting his room in a soft orange glow. He can't have been sleeping for long, but the nap had been refreshing.

Hiccup wandered from his room. His sock covered feet made barely any sound on the timber flooring. He turned through the doorway into the kitchen.

"Hey Dad." He stood sheepishly against the doorframe.

"Son!" Stoick gathered his boy up into a bear hug. "It's good to see you my boy!"

"Can't breathe Dad."

"Sorry," Stoick chuckled and released his only child. He stood back to look him up and down. "I wasn't expecting you home. Why didn't you say anything?"

"Yeah, well… surprise!" Hiccup rubbed his arms awkwardly.

"This is fantastic news. Just wait until I tell Gobber." Stoick's childhood friend very much lived up to the nickname. A big man, like Stoick, he had often taken Hiccup under his wing and kept him out of too much trouble while Stoick was out at sea. A mechanic by trade he had taught a curious young Hiccup many of the tricks of his craft.

"How long will you be staying?" Stoick took a seat by the kitchen table.

"Well, that's the thing," Hiccup explained. "I was thinking of coming home… for the foreseeable future." This was going better than expected.

His Dad beamed. "Excellent! Do you need work? You know there is always a place for you with Haddock Fishing. You know I was always hoping you'd still come back. It's in our blood after all."

And there it was.

Hiccup frowned.

"Actually, Dad, I have work. At the aquarium. I start tomorrow."

"The aquarium?" Stoick's frown matched his son's. "Can they afford it? That old place can't be making any money."

"It's not about the money," Hiccup argued, conveniently forgetting his reasons for returning home. "I need to make a start somewhere and they needed someone. They're starting a new program which they're hoping will bring in the tourists." At his father's scowl he continued exasperated, "it's a good job Dad."

"I just wish you would consider it," Stoick countered.

"I have considered it," Hiccup complained. "But that's not me. The fishing- it's your thing, not mine. Do you realise how much damage fishing does to the environment?" He tried appealing to the philanthropic side of his father. Over the years Stoick had given a lot of money and support to the community. He was a good man, but stubborn. The Haddock's had been doing things the same way for generations.

Stoick sighed. "I am not having this argument with you again."

"I'm just saying, there are sustainable fishing practices you can implement. You can prevent overfishing, or catching other marine animals."

"And then would you consider joining the business?" Stoick looked to his son expectantly.

"See, you don't even care," Hiccup protested. "You would change your practices just to get me on board, but wouldn't actually take the initiative otherwise!"

"That's enough," Stoick's eyes took on a steely glint.

"It's selfish. You just want to make sure the company stays in the family."

Stoick stood. "I said, that's enough!" His voice boomed though the house, effectively shutting Hiccup up. He lowered his voice. "You've been home less than a day. Let's not do this right now."

Hiccup conceded sullenly. "Fine."

Dinner after that was a terse affair. As soon as he was able, Hiccup excused himself to his room. As he was heading out through the door his father stopped him.

"Son- Hiccup, it… it really is good to see you." Stoick lay a hand on his son's shoulder.

Hiccup ducked his head. "Yeah, you too." He hesitated, about to continue, but thought better of it and left the room.

* * *

I really hope you like this guys. I promise next chapter will be full of Hiccup/Astrid banter (it's also much longer). Please review. Constructive feedback will help me improve my writing.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here is Chapter Two. I've been agonising over this for the last week. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Hiccup woke early after a night of tossing and turning, regretting the argument he had had with his Dad the night before. He rose reluctantly, wishing for a few more hours of sleep, but today was his first day at his new job. He wanted to make a good impression and turning up on time would help there.

After breakfast and a quick shower he was ready to go. His father had already left, Hiccup had heard the front door shut before the sun had risen. He was glad to avoid awkward conversation at breakfast. Ready to go, Hiccup gathered his backpack and walked to the garage. Under a tarp in the corner was his motorcycle. He'd missed riding it while away at college, but it would need a service and probably a bit of work before he could ride it again. Instead he went to his bicycle. It would make do until he had time to get out his tools.

The ride to the aquarium was mostly downhill. The cool morning air and fresh sea breeze helped drive away the lingering vestiges of sleep.

It didn't take long to reach the aquarium just outside of town. It sat one hundred yards back from the beach and was a rather large building. The front of the structure was open to the public. Inside housed tanks with colourful and exotic fish from all over the world. There was a boardwalk that ran along the front façade and down onto the sand. There was a pier that jutted out into the cove and a boat was anchored nearby in the calm waters.

Hiccup locked up his bike. The large double doors were shut, but there were a few cars in the lot, suggesting that there would be people inside. He went up to the entrance, grasped the door handle and pulled.

The door was locked.

He tried the other.

Also locked.

He cupped his hand against the glass and peered inside. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they did he could see no movement inside.

He tried knocking loudly on the door.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Still nothing.

Hiccup pulled his phone from his pocket. He'd been given a point of contact for the new position. He found the name in his contacts list and hit 'dial'.

Nobody picked up.

Hiccup decided to talk a walk around the building. Maybe there was a staff entrance somewhere.

Around to the side of the building there was a high fence with a gate where it intersected with the building. Hiccup pushed and the gate swung open easily with a loud _creak._ He cringed at the sound then remembered that as a staff member – though technically he hadn't started yet – he was probably allowed in the area.

He followed the path around past a number of large tanks. There was another gate, again unlocked and Hiccup walked into an area that held a number of pools of different sizes both above and below ground.

A soft murmur drew his attention off to the left. A woman, he couldn't tell her age from behind, sat with her legs dangling in one of the pools. Her light blue polo shirt was damp in patches, as though she'd been splashed and she appeared to be talking to someone or something in the water. She reached into the bucket beside her and pulled out a fish.

Hiccup stepped off in her direction, relieved to have found someone in this place. He wasn't watching where he was going and stumbled over a hose, knocking over a bucket as he tripped.

Startled the woman spun around. Her long blond braid hung over a shoulder and she flicked it back as she rose to her feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded as she stormed over. "This is a restricted area. Staff only." She pointed to a faded sign that hung on one of the buildings whitewashed walls.

Hiccup picked himself up off the ground and brushed himself off. "Sorry, I was just looking for a way in," he explained. "I am staff… sort of. It's my first day." He was rambling.

The woman stood, pale arms crossed over her chest.

"My friends call me Hiccup." He held out his hand. After a moment with no response he prompted. "And you are…?"

The blonde woman looked to be about his age. She ignored his hand. "Too busy for this," she told him, turning to move back to the pool. She gestured vaguely off towards the left. "You can get into the building over there, someone should be waiting for you." She glanced at him briefly, blue eyes briefly. "Word of advice, don't get in my way." She reached down to snatch the bucket by the water and stomped off.

Hiccup watched her go, stunned. Shaking himself off from the weird encounter he went off in the direction she'd indicated. Squeezing past shelves of buckets and brooms and all sorts of random haberdashery he found the door into the building.

After the harsh glare of morning sunlight, the room inside was very dark. After his eyes adjusted Hiccup wandered into the adjoining room. He descended down a set of stairs and found himself in one of the many rooms of the aquarium. He'd been here many times as a kid and had always loved this particular space. One of the walls was made entirely of glass and looked into the largest of the pools. Here visitors could view many of the animals rescued by the centre. While many were kept away from the public, in the hopes to rehabilitate them back into the wild, there were a few animals that would not survive if released and this window allowed the visitors to watch them.

Hiccup could hear the echo of voices from the next room. He followed the sound and ran into the three people within. The blonde male and female looked like siblings. They were facing the door as Hiccup walked in.

"Look at this, fresh meat." The long-haired female nudged the equally long-haired male with an elbow.

"Ah, the prodigal son returns!" The female crowed.

The larger boy turned. "Hiccup!"

"Hey Fishlegs," Hiccup recognised his childhood friend from school. "I didn't know you were working here."

"You know I used to volunteer here, it seemed like a logical step when a position became available," Fishlegs explained. "You must remember Riley and Tyler," he gestured to the twins.

"They're not that easy to forget," Hiccup rolled his eyes at the memory of what the blonde siblings – nicknamed Ruffnut and Tuffnut - used to get up to.

"Ah, I see our reputation proceeds us," Tuffnut cheered.

"Ignore them," Fishlegs took Hiccup aside. "They don't work here, they just mess things up."

"We are the best at what we do, right bro?" The woman turned to her brother.

"Right you are sis."

Fishlegs directed Hiccup away from the twins. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

Hiccup followed Fishlegs from the room, leaving the odd siblings behind.

"So we've got the administration team, that's… well it's mostly me," Fishlegs was explaining. "There's an executive board, but you'll probably never meet any of them. Uh-," they went through a door into a staff only area with a couple of offices. "We have- had a vet, but he got offered a better job in the city, so we're making do with our veterinary technician Astrid until we can find another. You might have met her outside feeding some of the animals."

Hiccup thought back to his frosty encounter with the blonde. "Yeah, I may have."

"She's not that bad," Fishlegs collected a bunch of paperwork off his desk. "She's just very protective of the animals here."

They went around and Hiccup was introduced to a few of the older staff members. It was a small team. They soon found themselves back outside by the pools.

"The aquarium is open from ten o'clock until four o'clock. Visitors aren't allowed in this area without Astrid's approval, we have animals here we're hoping to release back into the wild, but she'll explain all that."

Hiccup followed Fishlegs into a shed that smelled heavily of fish and brine.

"Most of the things you'll need will be in here. The vet clinic is through there," Fishlegs pointed to the closed door. "You can share the office through here," they moved through to a cramped room. It held a neatly organised desk, a computer that looked about ten years old, a few packed shelves and two chairs.

"Shared with?" Hiccup dropped his backpack onto one of the chairs.

"Shared with me." Astrid bustled through the doors. "Like I said, don't get in my way."

"Hiccup, this is Astrid," Fishleg's introduced.

"Yeah, we've met," Hiccup drawled. Astrid cleared her throat, hands on hips.

"Uh," Fishlegs studied the pair. "Astrid, you can fill Hiccup in on his position here. I-uh- lots of work." He shuffled out of the room awkwardly.

"So…?" Hiccup waited for Astrid to respond.

She exhaled loudly and moved to sit on the spare seat.

"You're basically a jack of all trades," she explained. "You'll help me feed the animals, you'll also help check the conditions of the pools and tanks, help with maintenance. You have a degree in marine science right?"

Hiccup nodded.

"You'll help with research, anything that needs to be done." Astrid spun in her chair and reached for the shelves behind her. She grabbed a radio and handed it to Hiccup. "Do you know how to use it?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Push the button and speak I'm guessing."

Astrid glared at him a moment and moved on.

"You'll want a uniform," she told him. "Anything you wear here will soon smell of fish. May as well keep it contained to one set of clothing." She stood and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a pale blue polo shirt that matched her own and a pair of black board shorts. Both were stamped with the aquariums logo. She tossed them to Hiccup. "I'll give you a minute to get changed."

Astrid left the room and Hiccup quickly swapped his clothing for the uniform provided. Astrid was a good judge of size and both the shirt and the pants fit well. Hiccup pulled his shoes back on, clipped the radio to his waistband and went outside to find Astrid.

He spent the rest of the day following her around, learning about the different animals Astrid was in charge of.

His favourite were two dolphins in the large pool named Bubble and Squeak. Both had been rescued from fishing nets and were being cared for until they were well enough to return to the wild. Hiccup's face burned when he heard this. He hoped it wasn't his father's boats that had been involved.

"There are two pelicans around here somewhere, but I think they've taken a shine to the twins," Astrid brushed away the hair that was falling into her face. "They named them Barf and Belch after watching them regurgitate their fish. All four of them are trouble and they're not allowed anywhere near the clinic."

They had almost finished their rounds of the pools, checking the water and the various pumps and moving on to the final feeding of the day.

A loud honking bark had Hiccup turning, searching for the source of the noise. Astrid glanced at her watch beside him. "Right on time," she muttered to herself.

The odd creature rounded the corner, waddling on its front fins. The barking was emanating from its short, dog-like snout.

"This is Stormfly," Astrid ducked into the shed while she waited for the creature to reach them and returned with an esky. "She's a fur seal. Her colony lives on the rocks of the headland. She was injured earlier this year and was released back into the wild but she likes to visit… usually around feeding time."

Hiccup took a step towards the seal.

"Watch out," Astrid cautioned. "She's a wild animal, she doesn't like strangers."

"Oh," Hiccup took a step back.

The seal honked and nudged past Hiccup to get to Astrid.

"You might have a fancy degree, but that doesn't amount to much in the real world," Astrid placed the esky down on the ground and reached in to retrieve a fish. "Do you have any experience working in a place like this?" She held out the fish which was quickly snatched and gobbled up by Stormfly, who barked for another. "You're perfectly capable of catching your own." Astrid chastised the seal.

"Well, not exactly," Hiccup ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "But that's why I'm here. I'm a fast learne-"

"This was why I was against hiring you." Hiccup's words died away as he was interrupted. "We don't need fast learners, we need someone who already has their shit together and actually has a hope of helping us turn this place around." Astrid waved off Stormfly. The seal was edging in, looking for more fish. "Why are you here Hiccup? Trying to impress your dad? Prove you can handle a real job before he lets you join his company?

"Wait? What? You are kidding right? This is the last thing my dad wants. He'd be thrilled if I gave it all up tomorrow."

"So, you think this is some little rebellion against your Dad? He got you the job here."

"No," Hiccup shook his head. "He told me yesterday, he thinks this whole thing is a waste of time."

Astrid shielded her eyes against the glare, peering up at Hiccup from where she knelt. "Look, this place needs someone who actually wants to be here. Someone who genuinely loves what they do, who doesn't care for the money, because the money quite frankly is shit." Astrid stood and placed her hands on her hips. "And to be honest, I don't think you have it in you."

Hiccup paused to find a bucket and hand it to the blonde girl so she could fill it with fish.

"Yeah, well, you don't know me yet," Hiccup took the bucket back. "I hope you like surprises."

...

Hiccup stormed through the front door, throwing his bag down in the corner of the hallway. He was tired, he stunk of fish and he was angry.

"Dad!" It was late enough in the evening, Hiccup was sure his father would be home.

"In the kitchen Son."

Hiccup stomped down the hall, heading for the kitchen.

"Is it true?" He demanded.

Stoick had his back to the doorway. He stood by the oven frying up dinner on the stove top.

"Is what true?" He turned around to look at his son and caught the thunderous expression on the young man's face.

"Is it true that you're the reason I got the job?"

"You got the job on your own," Stoick assured Hiccup. "But I heard about it and I may have put in a good word for you?"

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup complained. "You didn't think I could do it on my own? After all this crap about how you wanted me to join the family business, you couldn't let me go off and do my own thing. You needed to have a say in _that_ too. No one there is going to take me seriously. That'll just think I'm some spoiled kid who needs his dad to go out and find work for me."

"We both know that's not true," Stoick turned off the stove. "I simply wanted to help… prepare you. You need to be willing to take advantage of the opportunities that you get. And we both know you're willing to do the work."

"That's not the point Dad," Hiccup threw his hands up in exasperation. "I can do this on my own!"

"But you don't have to!" Stoick came to sit at the table in front of his son. "Come out in one of the boats with me on Saturday. You can at least see what we do and I won't hold you to anything. If it's still not what you want I'll- I'll drop the whole thing."

"Really? Because I've heard that one before," Hiccup snarked.

"You have my word," Stoick promised. "Things have changed a bit since you left."

Hiccup let out a long sigh.

"Fine," he shook his head. "It's what everyone expects of me." It was said sarcastically. "So fine. I'll come have a look, but after that we don't talk about this again.

* * *

So, same time next week?


	3. Chapter 3

I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has left a review or has favourited and followed. It's amazing!

On another note, I know very little about dolphins and releasing them into the wild. This is about 1 part googling to 3 parts making it up so it's probably very very wrong. Haha, but I hope you enjoy,

* * *

Hiccup spent the rest of the week working hard. The pump that assisted the filtration system of the main pool was on its last legs. He sat with his tools trying to work out some sort of solution to the problem but the thing had already been repaired so many times.

He stood up and worked the kinks from his back and shoulders. He leaned against the side of the pool, arms crossed and resting on the lip, and watched Astrid as she checked over one of the dolphins in the water. She'd swapped her normal polo shirt for a swim vest, but her braid still hung over her shoulder shining golden in the midday sunlight.

Hiccup had noticed that the animals all seemed to respond well to her soft touches and gentle words, much more than they responded to any of the staff that assisted with their care. Though secretly he thought that he had improved greatly in the last few days, Squeak had begun to whistle cheerfully whenever he approached.

He didn't realise he was staring until he was brought back to reality by the sound of a throat clearing.

"Don't you have something else you should be doing?" Astrid called to him.

Hiccup blushed, embarrassed that he had been caught staring.

"Sorry," he called back. "There's not much I can do with this." He gestured to the failing equipment. "It really needs to be replaced."

Astrid swam over to the edge of the pool and grimaced. "I was really hoping that was not going to be the case." She placed her palms on the edge of the pool and hauled herself out of the water to sit on the edge. "I'll talk to Fishlegs, see if we have some room in the budget."

"I may be able to source some parts," Hiccup started packing up his tools. "I know a mechanic in town. I could get him to take a look, he's much better at this than I am."

Astrid considered it. "It's worth a shot. I could spare you for an hour or so."

Hiccup nodded, packing his toolbox away.

"I'll be back soon," he promised.

His bike was propped up against the fence. Hiccup grabbed it and pushed it out into the carpark. After a short downhill cruise the ride into town was fairly flat and easy. He rode into the junk yard and dismounted the bike when he reached the garage.

"Well would'ja look who it is?" The older mechanic inside looked up from what he was working on and put down his tools. "Young Hiccup returns!"

"Hey Gobber," Hiccup propped his bike up against the wall.

"I take it yer father doesn't know of this little visit." Gobber limped over to the younger man. Before Hiccup was born the mechanic had lost his right leg and his left arm in a fishing accident. Not one to let things get him down, Gobber had fashioned his own interchangeable prosthetics to aid his work in the repair shop.

"No, and I'd prefer he didn't find out."

"Another one of your fallin' outs," Gobber asked.

"He doesn't trust me," Hiccup protested.

"Of course he trusts you," Gobber cut Hiccup off. "He's yer father. He just wants the best for yer."

"He has a weird way of showing it," Hiccup's nasal voice drawled dryly. He sat up on one of the benches and picked up a piece of metal that had been sitting there. He turned it over in his hands, examining the way the pieces fit together. "I actually came here because I have a favour to ask."

"'Ere it comes," Gobber rolled his eyes.

"I was wondering if you could come up to the aquarium and have a look. A few of their pumps need some work and I'm not exactly sure if they can be fixed. I could use your expertise."

"You think you can butter me up wit' yer compliments." Gobber shook a fake hand at Hiccup.

"Please Gobber, just this once?" Hiccup put down the object he'd been playing with.

"You know I can't say no to you boy," Gobber switched out his hand for one of the many that hung on the shed wall. "Fine, I'm not too busy tomorrow. I'll come 'round and take a look."

"Thanks Gobber," Hiccup jumped down from the bench and went to his bike. "I'll find a way to pay you back." He peddled back to the aquarium, wishing that he had his motorbike. The summer sun beat down, hot and bright. Heat rose in hazy waves from the bitumen and Hiccup had worked up a sweat by the time he had returned to the aquarium.

Astrid was in their small, shared office when he returned. Hiccup went straight for the sink in the other room, finding a cup and gulping down the cool water from the tap.

"You know you could have taken you truck." Astrid had moved to the doorway.

"Uh, to be honest, that never actually crossed my mind." Hiccup filled his cup again.

Astrid shook her head. "Of course it didn't." She beckoned him into the office. "Come on, we still have a lot of work to do to prepare for this afternoon."

Both Bubble and Squeak were ready to be released back into the wild. Astrid had gathered together a team of staff and put out a call for volunteers assist. They were due to arrive after the aquarium had closed for the day.

Astrid had planned the entire thing. This was the first time she was in charge of the whole operation. The last time there had been a more senior staff member to assist. Now she was the senior staff member, and she was trying not to let it get to her. She'd been working at the marine hospital for less than a year and she'd only graduated from college six months ago.

Glancing up at Hiccup as he poured over their plans for the release, Astrid felt like a hypocrite. She'd been giving him a hard time all week about how he knew nothing. Astrid doubted she knew that much more.

Hiccup looked up. "What am I missing?" Astrid shook off her fears. She was a Hofferson. She could do this.

"You're not missing anything," Astrid stood up from the desk. "Just make sure you follow the plan and this should all go down smoothly."

They went outside to finish preparing.

Together they lay two stretchers out beside the pool, with towels and other equipment including a winch that would be used to heave the marine mammals out of the water. After setting it up, Hiccup went and opened the big gate that led down to the beach.

"Hey guys," Fishlegs had come outside, clutching his clipboard by the pool. "The volunteers are here," he told the duo. "I've got them waiting downstairs."

Astrid wiped her hands on her shorts. "Okay, let's do this."

She led the way down into the aquarium where the small crowd gathered. Hiccup followed, mentally preparing himself for the task. He wanted to prove that he could do this, that he had what it took to do the job.

As he reached the group he heard a familiar drawl.

"Hey Cuz!"

Deep breath.

"Oh hey… Snotlout." If there was anyone here who could screw up the whole operation, here was the guy. Hiccup turned to his cousin.

"Snotlout?" Astrid snorted, startling Hiccup who hadn't realised she'd been standing behind him.

"Long time no see," Snotlout was leaning against one of the fish tanks. "Astrid, babe, I haven't seen you around the gym lately."

"Probably because I've been avoiding you," Astrid muttered, she glared at Hiccup.

"Don't look at me like that," Hiccup threw his hands up. "I didn't invite him."

"I saw that you needed my muscles," Snotlout flexed.

"Ugh," Astrid rolled her eyes and stalked away. Hiccup shook his head at his cousin's antics and followed her. They stood at the head of the table that had been brought into the large space. "Thank you for coming," she addressed the group. "Most of you have assisted with a release before and know the drill, for the others, we'll run through the process." She shuffled through the papers that had been placed on the table. "We'll need two teams of six to help carry the stretchers down to the water." She explained the process, outlining the steps for each team member. When they were ready, she led the group outside.

Both dolphins were in the same pool. Along one slide of the pool was a ledge, about a foot under the water. In the lead up to the release, Astrid had been getting both dolphins used to the stretchers. She climbed into the water and the twins passed across the stretcher. Bubbles was the first to be coaxed into the stretcher which was then attached to the winch, which Hiccup controlled, hoisting the young dolphin from the pool.

Six pairs of hands gripped the handles and a wet towel was placed over the dolphin to keep her soft skin wet. The process was repeated for Squeak and the two groups set off down the path towards the ocean.

They waded into the water and Astrid encouraged the dolphins to swim out of the stretches and into the calm water of the cover.

There was a reporter on the beach taking photographs as the dolphins swam in lazy circles before diving down and disappearing from sight.

"They'll probably hang around for a few days," Astrid explained. She was trying to gather up the water-logged stretcher. Hiccup went to help, but was pushed aside by Snotlout.

"I got this babe," Snotlout assured her. His grip on the carrier was awkward as he half lifted/half dragged it from the water.

Ruffnutt and Tuffnut grabbed the other stretched.

"Well there's a sight you don't see every day," Astrid commented on the odd sight. "The twins are actually helping." She watched them run up the path, their laughter drifted back down towards the water. Astrid narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust it. Can you go after them?" She asked Hiccup. She waved at the small gathering that still hung around on the beach. "I need to stay here, keep an eye on things."

"Uh, sure." Hiccup waded out of the water, heading back up behind the aquarium. Sure enough, by the time he got there the stretcher had been hooked back up to the winch. Tuffnut lay inside it, wiggling around.

"Look at me, I'm a dolphin!"

Ruffnut dumped him into the pool and the boy rose spluttering.

"You look more like an idiot to me," she reached over and dunked his head back under the water.

Hiccup shook his head tiredly. "Really guys? Didn't Astrid ban you from this area?"

"You gonna tell on us?" Tuffnut pulled himself from the water to sit on the edge of the pool. "Run along to your little girlfriend Hiccup."

"Hiccup and Astrid? Ha!" Snotlout had been listening in on the exchange. "Like a girl like her would ever go for a fishbone like you."

"Really guys? Aren't we all a little old for this?" Hiccup asked in dismay.

"Good work today guys." Fishlegs and Astrid had made their way to the others. Astrid began folding up one of the stretchers to put away on its assigned shelf. "They're going to run a story in the newspaper," Fishlegs was excited at the prospect. "We could really use the publicity. You could have been nicer to the reporter."

Astrid came back for the second stretcher.

"It's not my job to be nice to reporters, it's my job to make sure the release goes smoothly and she kept getting in the way."

"But did you really have to call her a-"

Ruffnut began to laugh, cutting Fishlegs off. "You're a hardass As. Love it. Now are you almost done?" Her voice took on a whinging tone. "You know there's that new band playing at the bar tonight. I need to get home and wash the smell of fish off me if I have _any_ hope of bringing them home tonight."

Mouths dropped open. Tuffnut made a gagging sound. Snotlout snickered. Fishlegs went bright red.

"You are _not_ bringing an _entire_ boy band back to our house."

"You're no fun at all."

"Wait, you guys are going out tonight?" Hiccup rubbed his brow in confusion. "But I thought you didn't like the twins."

"I never said that. I said they were banned from the clinic" Astrid finished packing away the second stretcher and wiped her sandy hands on her shorts. "And that I don't trust them."

"Wise move" Tuffnut rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wise move indeed. I wouldn't trust us either."

His sister pushed him backwards into the water and laughed. "Speak for yourself."

"You know, I'm free tonight." Snotlout sidled up between Ruffnut and Astrid. He put an arm around each of their shoulders. The girls rolled their eyes.

"Dream on, Snotlout," Ruffnut laughed. "Let's get out of here Astrid."

The girls left, and one by one the rest of the group headed home for the day.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed. Next chapter should be up next week some point.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys, I am so sorry for such a long wait. Life caught up with me plus I had some major writers block and I decided that I hated everything I'd ever written. Despite all that, I haven't given up on this story. I am still writing and I promise I won't make you wait as long for future chapters so please bear with me.

* * *

"Hiccup. Son. Wake up."

Hiccup groaned. "I changed my mind." He rolled over in bed. "I'd much rather sleep." It was still dark outside, and far as Hiccup was concerned, way too early to be awake.

"Come on, time to make a man out of you."

Hiccup sat up. "Thanks Dad."

He pushed off his covers and climbed to his feet. He'd promised his Dad he would go out on the boat and see for himself how his Stoick worked. He still wasn't convinced that this was an acceptable use of his day off, but if it finally got his Dad off his back so be it.

The older man lumbered out of the room, murmuring excitedly to himself. The enthusiasm was almost contagious, but Hiccup had spent too many years butting heads with his father to get caught up in it. Instead he shook his head and shuffled around his bedroom collecting a t-shirt and shorts. The day promised to be quite warm, even at this early hour.

Stoick was in the kitchen making breakfast when Hiccup finally emerged from his room.

"Big day today, better eat up!" He pushed a plate piled with food over the counter towards Hiccup.

"Uh thanks Dad," Hiccup picked at the meal, hoping to strike a balance between eating enough to get him to lunch and eating so much he puked the moment the boat started rocking. After an egg and a few pieced of toast, he considered himself done.

Stoick had already wolfed down his portion and was hurriedly motioning his son to head out.

"Day's a-wasting, Hiccup. Let's go."

Father and son climbed into the large SUV for the short drive into town.

The wharf was quiet this time of morning. Later there would be hustle and bustle. It was the wrong time of the year for whales, but many of the chartered vessels took tourists out to see the dolphins that swam in the waters around the small coastal town.

Hiccup waited on one of his father's smaller boats as Stoick went through some last minute checks. The small fleet of boats caught fresh fish for the early morning markets, which were sold and then prepared in fancy restaurants for dinner than evening. Hiccup had never really been a fan of seafood, despite it being a staple in the Haddock household. During his time at university he'd avoided fish completely.

Hiccup gazed around for his Dad. The older man was hard to lose, even in the most crowded of places. Hiccup excelled at the skill when he was younger. Childish curiosity often had him sneaking away from his father's scrutiny and poking his fingers in places they didn't belong.

He spotted Stoick instantly, unmissable with his broad shoulders, and long, shagger red hair. Even with his back to the boy. He was talking to an equally large man, with dark skin and dark hair. From this distance, Hiccup could see they were having some sort of disagreement. He climbed down from the boat and wandered towards his father. As the wind shifted, he was able to pick up snippets of the conversation.

"…if you've got no proof…"

"...just because you've got the local authorities in your pocket…"

Hiccup stepped up beside his dad. He caught a glimpse of the logo on the stranger's jacket.

"Oh, so you're one of Drago's men then," Hiccup took in the man's entire appearance. Short, dark hair formed a widows peak in the centre of his forehead and he was cleanly shaven but for a neat goatee. He did not look the sort to work for an evil corporation.

"Hiccup." Stoick put a hand on his son's shoulder. A gentle reprimand.

"Hiccup?" The man's tone raised in question as he looked the boy up and down.

"You do realise you are ruining the environment right?" Hiccup ignored the gentle pressure of his father's hand, warning him to back off.

"Is that so," the stranger chuckled. "Dear me, how careless, but unless you have any proof, I'm afraid there's not much you can do about that."

Hiccup took a step forward. "There are so many other ways, you don't need to give up the business, just change your methods."

"Well it just so happens that we enjoy our methods, boy." The man ran a hand over his well-kept beard. "They allow us to maintain a certain lifestyle."

"You'll kill everything! There will be nothing left here to fish!" Hiccup moved to get up in the man's face. Stoick pulled him back, much stronger than his boy.

"Leave it Hiccup, this is not a fight you can win today."

"Yes, _Hiccup_ ," the man sneered around the name. "Listen to your old man. This is not a fight you can win." He turned on heel and left.

"Who was that?" Hiccup asked, watching the retreating figure.

"Viggo Grimborn, one of Drago's top men and pain in my arse."

"Grimborn? With a name like that, I'm not surprised he's one of the bad guys." Hiccup shrugged out of the hold his dad still had on his shoulder. "What was that about any way? Why did you just let him go?"

"What was I supposed to do son? He hasn't done anything illegal-" Hiccup rolled his eyes. "-that I can prove." His father finished.

"You could try changing his mind!" Hiccup argued. "Show him there are other ways to do this!"

"There is no 'changing' Drago's mind. The authorities will not do anything about him. The whole lot of them are in his pocket."

"But Dad-"

"No Hiccup! You don't understand the trouble this could cause! One word from him and I could lose my licence. They wouldn't be asking _him_ for proof. For now, it is best that you _leave it be."_

"It's not right!"

Hiccup stormed off towards where Stoick's large boat bobbed by the wharf. His father quickly caught up with him.

"I know it's not right Hiccup and I'm doing everything within my power to change it, but Drago not a man you want to anger. I know you want to pursue this, but you need to let this go."

Hiccup crossed his arms in front of his chest, a stubborn gesture from childhood. Stoick half expected him to stomp his foot like a toddler.

"Fine, I'll drop it." Hiccup turned to climb onto the boat. "For now."

He sat in sullen silence as his father followed him on board and piloted the vessel out to sea. Stoick launched into a commentary of the changes he and his team had been making to their fishing practices since Hiccup had gone off to university.

"I'm surprised Dad, I really didn't expect this." Hiccup said finally when his Dad had run out of steam. They were several miles up the coast, watching the waves crash up against a cliff face.

"What? You think I wouldn't learn anything despite listening to you carp on for years about it? I've done my research."

"I-" Hiccup in silence of a moment searching for the words. "Thanks Dad."

They were on their way back to the marina when Stoick called out.

"Look son!" He pointed to the shapes circling around in the water below. Hiccup moved over to the railing to watch.

Suddenly a smooth, sleek body emerged from the water, jumping and playing in the wake from the boat. More dolphins joined the first. They took turns gliding through the waves beside the boat.

"There's another one way out there." Hiccup pointed, squinting through the glare. "Why is it so far out? Dolphins are supposed to be social creatures."

Stoick retreated into the cabin and returned with a pair of binoculars. He looked through them a moment before passing them over. Hiccup took a moment to study the dolphin.

"I don't think it's the same breed as these ones," he commented. "It's much darker in its colouring. Almost black." He handed the binoculars back.

"I think I've seen it around before," Stoick took another look. "Around the boats. In fact, I think this is the little bastard that sabotages our catches!"

"Wait, it does what?"

The dolphin circled in closer, as if sussing out the situation before retreating once more to a safe distance.

"Yep, sneaks in, quick as anything. I don't know how it does it. Puts holes in nets, weights them down with stones. Too clever for its own good if you ask me."

Hiccup let out a whistle of admiration. With his attention on the black shadow in the distance he didn't notice the dolphins playing around the boat had left until his dad rose to return to the wheel.

It was too hot. Hiccup was not ready to shrug on his leather jacket and ride home. Instead of heading to the carpark, he walked in the opposite direction, down to the beach and kicked off his shoes. The sand burned hot on his feet but the water provided immediate cooling relief.

After the day on the water with his Dad, their relationship had improved dramatically. There had been no need for eye-rolling at all that morning as Hiccup had been getting ready for work. Stoick had not even made one mention of Hiccup coming to work with him. The younger Haddock was hoping the subject had been forgotten entirely.

Hiccup dug his toes into the wet sand, relishing the feel. It was still too hot. He waded in, up to his knees then sat down.

A dark shape barrelled through the water. Hiccup stood up quickly, startled at the speed at which it approached. He took a step back, making a move to wade back to shore. The creature was faster. It knocked him down, sending the young man with limbs flailing into the water. Coughing and spluttering, Hiccup clambered to his feet.

"Stormfly!" The seal barked and circled Hiccup. "I don't have any food. Go find Astrid, she'll feed you." Stormfly ducked back under the water and zipped away again. Hiccup followed the shadow with his eyes as the seal disappeared from view.

Hiccup pushed dripping wet locks back from his face.

There was another shadow in the water. Hiccup had to squint against the glare of the late afternoon sun.

A shape, silhouette black against the sunset, sailed through the air in a graceful arc before landing in the water. It was the dolphin from Saturday.

Hiccup ran from the water, keeping his eyes on the dolphin in the distance. He snatched his bag from where he had left it in the sand and hurried up to the rocks. He hopped from one to the next, placing his feet carelessly. He tripped, skinning his knees, but he scrambled back up. Skipping and sliding, he finally jumped and landed on the large, flat, red stones that jutted out from the headland.

Here among the tide pools Hiccup was much closer to the dolphin that swam nearby. The sea was calm, so Hiccup perched on a rock near the water's edge. He pulled his backpack onto his lap, pulled out his sketchbook and began to draw.

Rough lines at first, then more detail as the dolphin's image became clear on the paper. He filled it in carefully, framing the dolphin in the curve of the bay. The sleek animal assisted by leaping from the water every so often.

"Not bad."

"Ah! Astrid!" Hiccup dropped his pencil in startled surprise. It rolled across the rock and dropped into one of the shallow rock pools.

Astrid laughed, a new sight to Hiccup. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you." She crouched down to retrieve the pencil from the water. "But you're in my spot. I wanted to see what you were up to."

"Your spot?" Hiccup closed his sketchbook and returned it to his backpack. "I didn't realise someone could just walk up and lay claim to a particular rock."

"I'll forgive you on this occasion." Astrid sat down and dangled her feet in the warm waters of the tide pool. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

They sat together in awkward silence, neither quite sure how to begin a new conversation. Up until this point all conversations between the two had been out of necessity and work related.

A breeze struck up from the east. Bringing with it cooling airs that whipped up clothing and plucked at the wispy strands of Astrid's braid.

"Finally," She sighed. "It should cool down tonight."

Hiccup nodded silently, his eyes still trained on the dolphin that was now swimming out to sea. Astrid followed his gaze.

"It must be lonely," she drew her feet from the water and wrapped her arms around her knees. "To live without a pod. I used to think he was a scout for another group, but I've only ever seen him on his own." With the dolphin out of sight Astrid stood up. "It's sad. They're such social creatures." She held out a hand to help pull Hiccup to his feet. Together they wandered back towards the aquarium.

"Look," Astrid stopped. "I'm …sorry for the last week. It's just… we've had so many people just come and go. You can never really be sure who is going to stay and actually put in the effort. This place- it's important to me."

Hiccup said nothing.

"…and you've been picking things up really quickly." Astrid was reluctant to admit that Hiccup really had surprised her, just like he said he would.

Still Hiccup said nothing.

"Can you just say something? I'm trying to apologise here!" Astrid waited.

"…Something." It was said with a smirk.

"What?! Oh my god, you are so immature!" Astrid threw her hands in the air. "It's like working with a child!"

She stormed off towards the building.

"Astrid!" Hiccup called after her. She stopped and turned. "Thanks."

The change that night brought a storm.

Rain lashed against the windows as the wind howled around the house. A window in the kitchen must not have been closed properly, Hiccup could hear the door rattling from his bedroom. He pushed his covers aside and shivered. At least the heat of the last few days had eased.

His bare feet made no sound on the wooden flooring as he ambled towards the kitchen. He found the offending window and slid it shut with a soft _snick._ Staring out into the dark, Hiccup could barely make out the neighbouring house in the storm, until a fork of lightning split open the sky with a thunderous roar.

Hiccup shut the curtains and returned to his bed.

* * *

The next few chapters are written, but I've been rewriting them so I should have another chapter up within a week or so when I am happy with it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay guys, in the last three days this thing has gone from about 5k word to almost 20k + a full outline of what's going to happen. I thought I would celebrate by posting another chapter suuuper early.**

 **Note for this chapter: I don't know the first thing about rescuing dolphins. Like, nothing except for movies. So this is probably wrong, but I am willing to live with this.**

* * *

The aquarium was a mess.

Branches had fallen from the trees lining the carpark and sand had been blown up from the beach. More shockingly, the sign was missing from the top of the building. Hiccup dismounted his bike and wheeled it through the side gate to park it.

Shrugging out of his jacket, Hiccup made his way up the path to the pools. The mess was just as bad. Shelves had been blown over, scattering their contents across the concrete. Hiccup stepped over the mess to dump his helmet and jacket inside the office he shared with Astrid. She didn't appear to be in yet.

Hiccup returned to the pool area and took another look at the chaos around him. The indoor tanks would be okay, but several were connected to outdoor pools which were probably full of debris. Fortunately, since releasing Bubble and Squeak, there was only one dolphin in residence. Sneaky had been taken from the ocean young, trained as a circus animal and injured performing a trick. In that time, she'd never learned to fend for herself and so couldn't be released.

Sneaky was in the largest pool which extended down into aquarium. The two outdoor pools were empty and full of rubbish carried in by the wind. Hiccup ignored them as he continued his rounds.

The penguin enclosure was a mess, but Hiccup found the penguins huddled together safe in their shelter. The seal enclosure was much the same. Fortunately, all the animals appeared to be unharmed, it was just a matter of cleaning up the mess that had been made by the storm.

Hiccup went to find a rake and returned to find Astrid standing stock still in the middle of the yard. She turned around on the spot, taking in the damage silently as Hiccup wandered over to her.

"The animals all seem to be okay," he reassured her. "You might want to check over them yourself. I'm going to start on the clean up."

Hiccup glanced around awkwardly as Astrid stared at him in shock.

"You came in early?"

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed a hand self-consciously through his hair. "I figured you'd be here early to check on everything after last night's storm. Thought I should be here to help."

Astrid threw her arms around him suddenly. "Thanks Hiccup."

"Uh, it was nothing," Hiccup told her awkwardly. "In fact, it's kinda my job."

* * *

Astrid released him and took a step back.

"I know that. Still… thank you. Shall we?"

They got to work cleaning and were soon joined by Fishlegs and the twins, though the twins were less helpful. They got lucky. Nothing was actually damaged, it was just a matter of cleaning up the branches that had been blown around and restacking the shelves that had been knocked over.

Hiccup sat on the edge of the main pool drinking from a water bottle. The temperate hadn't reached the highs of the days before, but it was still sweaty work. Even now as the sun was beginning to set, the warmth of the day hung around. Stormfly was swimming around in the water, having appeared around noon unharmed by the weather of the night before.

A shadow fell over him and he handed over the drink bottle without looking to see who it was. Everyone but him and Astrid had gone inside once the hard work was over. They still had their normal daily duties to complete.

"Thanks Hiccup." The blonde smiled and took a swig of cool water.

"That's the third time you've thanked me today," Hiccup joked, he took the bottle back for another sip. "All this praise is going to go to my head."

"I hope not," Astrid was grinning. "It's big enough already." She sat down beside the brunette, dangling her feet in the water.

Stormfly hopped out of the pool and waddled over. She seal gave a short bark, nudging the box in Astrid's hands.

"Sorry girl, it's empty." Astrid removed the lid to show the seal there was no food inside despite the fishy smell. Stormfly shoved her head in anyway, knocking the box into the water. "Greedy guts. Now look what you've done."

Alerted by the commotion in her pool, Sneaky had come over and was nosing at the Styrofoam box floating in the water. Finding it empty, she flung it back at the young adults sitting on the edge of the pool.

"Ungrateful!" Hiccup dodged the box but was unable to dodge the splash that was aimed at him. "Ugh, thanks. That's one way to cool off." Astrid was laughing at him, so Hiccup scooped up the water with his hand and splashed her.

"Hey!" Astrid retaliated with a shove, sending Hiccup sprawling into the water. He surfaced with a splutter.

"What was that for?" He choked.

"That was for splashing me."

Hiccup swam back to the ledge and climbed out of the water. He sat on the edge dripping water everywhere.

"Can you not?" Astrid asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I getting water on you?" Hiccup shook his head deliberately in Astrid's direction, spraying water all over her.

"No. No!" Astrid tried to shield herself with her arms, but she was laughing. Hiccup wrapped an arm around her, pulling his workmate into his wet chest. "But it's so hot, you look hot." He froze at the words and their unintentional meaning. If Astrid noticed, she said nothing, still trying to wiggle out from underneath him.

"You are so dead Haddock!"

Hiccup dropped his arm and Astrid jumped free. She grabbed at the hem of the shirt that was clinging wetly to her figure.

"Look! Now I'm all wet!"

"Occupational hazard?" Hiccup offered weakly. "Uh," he looked away as Astrid attempted to wring out the damp shirt, exposing her smooth, flat stomach. "I, uh, gotta do that thing." He jumped up. Hiccup almost tripped over his own feet as he made his escape, taking the back path down to the beach. He kicked his soaked shoes off at the edge of the sand.

"Well that was stupid," he told himself. "Pull yourself together."

Hiccup dodged the jetsam that had washed up during the night and wandered down to the water's edge. Bits of seaweed, plastic bags, frayed rope, even a shoe lay scattered across the beach.

Shaking his head, Hiccup collected the rubbish and sat in the wet sand. He wondered how the black dolphin had faired during the night.

The water was incredibly calm in the bay. Listening to the waves lap at the rocks was incredibly soothing. Hiccup shut his eyes and took in the sounds.

What was that? Hiccup screwed up his face in concentration. Over there, to the left.

He opened his eyes and scanned the shore. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Listening again, he caught it. A whistling sound. High pitched and distressed.

Hiccup jogged up the beach searching. Maybe a hundred metres out from the headland was a small rocky outcrop jotting from the water. It sported a large flat rock. There was something on it.

As Hiccup got closer he could see it was a dolphin. The black one. But there was something wrong. Hiccup searched for a way down from the headland but it was too steep. He ran back towards the beach and waded into the water, not bothering to even empty his pockets. He was quickly up to his chest, then the sand disappeared from under his feet and he was swimming, long powerful strokes. Hiccup was glad of all the swimming his Dad had made him do as a kid. As a result, he was a fairly decent swimmer. Even so, he was breathing heavily when he reached the outcrop.

Climbing out of the water, Hiccup could see exactly what was wrong with the dolphin. There was a rope wrapped around the sleek body, cutting into the soft flesh of its rostrum, forcing its mouth closed. The rope was also twisted around the tail which bled sluggishly where it was tangled tightly. At the end of the rope was a trap, designed to catch fish, it had caught something much, much larger.

Hiccup swore and tried to pull the metal contraption free. The dolphin squealed in pain.

"Sorry bud," Hiccup let go and tried to assess the situation. Every so often a wave washed over them, this had kept the dolphin's skin from drying out in the sun, but the tide was quickly going out.

A fresh breeze had sprung up. It was cold out of the water now the sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon.

Hiccup searched his pockets, looking for anything that would help.

"Perhaps I didn't quite think this though," he confided in the mammal. He pulled his phone from his pocket, surprised it hadn't fallen out. It was one of those water-proof models. Hiccup had never had the chance to test this feature out. He found his pocket knife and opened it up. "Hold still bud." Hiccup started with the rope around the animal's snout. There was something wrong with its mouth. Hiccup had a closer look and shrugged it off.

"You know," he moved on to the tail. "For a second there, it looked like you had no teeth." He chuckled to himself. "Toothless."

Hiccup managed to work the tail free, talking the whole time to the dolphin, who he had decided to call Toothless. Hiccup tried to assess the damage but Toothless thrashed about.

"I think I'm a little over my head here Toothless." The dolphin seemed to calm a little when he spoke. "Let's see if this thing still works."

The phone was still on which was a good sign. Hiccup punched the number for his office and hit dial.

"Come on. Come on, pick up." The phone rang several times before someone answered.

"Berk Aquarium and Marine Centre, this is Astr-"

"Astrid!" Hiccup cut her off. "I'm down at the beach, I need help!"

"Hiccup? You're cutting out, where are you?"

"Beach!" Hiccup all but shouted into his phone. "There's an injured dolphin, you'll need the boat."

"You're at the beach?"

Hiccup groaned in frustration. Astrid couldn't hear him properly.

"Yes, bring the boat!"

"Boat? Hiccup? Hiccup?"

There must be water in the microphone. It appeared Astrid couldn't hear him at all anymore. Hiccup heard the phone disconnect.

The tide was going out quickly. The water was no longer reaching them. Hiccup crouched down and cupped his hands to scoop water over the quickly drying dolphin. He stood and climbed to the highest point on the outcrop. He could see Astrid on the beach searching for him. Hiccup scrambled for his phone again and switched on the flash light, waving it around in the hopes she could see it.

She must have. She went running back behind the aquarium.

Hiccup shivered in his damp clothes and climbed back down to Toothless. The water was warmer than the air so he sat on one of the still submerged rocks and continued to splash water onto the stranded animal.

Soon he heard the hum of an outboard motor. He looked up to see the rescue boat racing over.

"Took you long enough," he called over. Fishlegs steered the boat close and Astrid jumped overboard to join Hiccup and the dolphin.

"Sorry," Astrid climbed up onto the rocks. "Some of us like to be prepared when we go on rescue missions."

She turned on the torch Hiccup hadn't noticed her carrying and hissed over the damage to Toothless' tail.

"This is bad Hiccup." She swam back over to the boat and started pulling things into the water. "Here grab this."

Hiccup realised that she had some kind of stretcher. "Are these kiddie floaties?" He asked, pointing at the bright yellow inflatables attached.

"I had to improvise," Astrid swam back over. "Unless you can lift a hundred kilos," she smirked at Hiccup's thin arms, "we're not getting this dolphin into the boat, but we can float him alongside." She set up the stretcher in the water. "Help me roll him."

Together they were able to manoeuvre the dolphin onto the stretcher and float it back towards the boat. With a bit of rope, they were able to tie it to the side. Fishlegs carefully steered the boat back to shore with Astrid and Hiccup clinging to the side to ensure Toothless didn't knock into the side.

Once in the shallows they were able to make use of the few staff members who had remained at the aquarium to transport Toothless to one of the clean pools.

It was a long night and Hiccup was freezing.

He'd been in wet clothes all afternoon, going from pool to ocean, back to the pool, hopping out to fetch things as Astrid asked for them.

Now he was back in the pool, helping to hold Toothless still while Astrid cleaned the mess that had been made of the dolphin's tail. Together they had rigged up a contraption that would keep the dolphin from sinking below the surface of the water.

"Why do you keep calling him that?" Astrid asked. She had finished applying an ointment of some kind to the dolphins injured tail. "You know he has teeth right?"

"Of course I know that," Hiccup rubbed a soothing hand over the silky smooth skin of Toothless' snout. "It just… seemed right at the time."

"Remind me not to let you name any more dolphins." Astrid stripped off her gloves. "There's not much more I can do," she said sadly. "I just don't have the experience to deal with something like this."

"You're doing a great job, isn't she Toothless?" The dolphin gave a shrill whistle in agreement. "See!"

Astrid climbed out of the water.

"I'll make a few calls and see if I can get someone out to help." She disappeared into their office and returned with two towels. Hiccup climbed out of the pool and took the towel offered to him. "My main concern is his tail. It's already infected, he might not live through this Hiccup."

Hiccup wrapped the towel around himself. "We at least have to try." He sat back down at the edge of the pool. "I'll take the first watch," he said. "I'll come get you if anything happens."

Astrid said nothing. After a moment Hiccup heard her retreating footsteps as she went to lie down in their office.

* * *

Please let me know if you're enjoying this. Hayley


	6. Chapter 6

It's update time! I've been rearranging my chapters which has made this one much longer than it was originally, but now chapter 7 is a little short. I have a week to work on it though so it should get a bit longer.

I just want to say a massive **thank you** to everyone who has read/favourited/reviewed, this means so much to me and I really hope you continue to enjoy this story.

* * *

"Come on, just drink it!"

Hiccup woke with a start. For the last two days, along with their regular activities, he and Astrid had been taking turns with the injured young dolphin. They had spent the first night taking turns in the pool. Weak from his injuries, Toothless had been unable to swim. Hiccup had rigged up a contraption to prevent the dolphin from sinking, but the sick animal had still required twenty-four hour care.

Things had improved slightly on the second day, but Hiccup had still elected to spend the night at the marine hospital. He had had been afraid to leave in case the worst should happen, plus Toothless seemed to respond better to his voice and touch. This detail had not gone unnoticed by Astrid.

Hiccup's back was stiff from spending the last few hours sleeping in an office chair. He stood slowly, working all the kinks from his joints as he walked to the door.

"All good out here?"

Early morning sun was beginning to creep over the edge of the building. Astrid was in the water with Toothless trying to get him to drink something from a bottle.

"I can't get him to eat," Astrid put the bottle down on the edge of the pool and lifted herself out of the water. "He needs to eat if he's to beat this illness." The girl looked exhausted. "Even if we can fix his tail, he _will_ die if he doesn't eat."

Hiccup sat at the edge of the water. "Hear that bud? I would do what Astrid tells you, if I were you. She's pretty good at this kind of thing."

Toothless chirped wearily in response.

Astrid shifted her gaze from the dolphin to her colleague. She picked up the bottle and shoved it at Hiccup.

"You try," she told him.

"Me? I- what? I don't-" Hiccup waved his hands to shoo away the bottle. "What do I do?"

"I don't know, get him to drink it."

Hiccup eyed the grey liquid in the bottle. Taking it gingerly from Astrid's hands, caught a whiff from inside. It smelled unappetising to his human stomach. Slowly he offered the bottle to Toothless.

"You hungry? Astrid made it 'specially for you."

The girl snorted.

The dolphin kept it's snout shut, refusing to drink.

"Mmmm, delicious!" Hiccup tried again. He held the bottle up to his mouth and pretended to drink from it. "So good. Your turn." Again he offered up the bottle and this time Toothless opened his mouth. "It's working!" Hiccup cheered as Toothless drained the liquid from the bottle. "Good work bud!"

"He likes you!" Astrid reached and put a congratulatory hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "I could not have got him to do that."

"I'm sure you would have got there eventually." Hiccup let out a massive yawn.

"Go home Hiccup," Astrid told him. "Have a shower, get some rest."

"What about you? You've been up all night," Hiccup objected. "I at least got a few hours' sleep last night."

Astrid held up a hand against the protest. "I've got another vet coming in, he should be here soon. We'll look after Toothless-" she still cringed slightly at the name "-today. You can stay with him tonight."

The idea of a shower and a change of clothes was incredibly appealing.

"Just go, I promise I'll take care of him and I'll call you if anything changes."

"Okay," Hiccup climbed reluctantly to his feet. "I'll be back this afternoon. Call me if _anything_ changes and I'll head right back." He went and retrieved his gear from the office. Shrugging into his motorcycle jacket he paused once last time by the pool.

"Go Hiccup."

His bike was still parked by the side of the building. He wheeled it out to the carpark and climbed on. Turning the key in the ignition, the engine roared to life. Hiccup released the clutch and sped out of the carpark.

He made it home in record time.

"Where have you been?"

Hiccup jumped. He'd been setting his helmet on the kitchen table when his Dad had walked in.

"Weren't you wearing those clothes two days ago?" The older man chuckled.

"It's not what you think Dad," Hiccup explained. He told Stoick about how he had found Toothless and how he and Astrid had gone back to the aquarium and taken turns caring for the dolphin during the night.

"I don't think I've met this Astrid," Stoick stroked his beard, deep in thought.

"Really Dad? Is this all you took from that?" Hiccup asked sarcastically. "That I work with a girl?"

"Is she pretty?"

" _Dad!_ She's my co-worker!" Hiccup threw his hands up in exasperation. He wasn't about to tell his Dad that Astrid was the smartest, most beautiful girl he knew. That was asking for trouble. Stoick would want to meet her even though _there was nothing going on_. "I'm going to have a shower and a nap. I need to be back later for the night shift."

"Yes, the _night shift."_

Hiccup ignored his father's jovial teasing. He went to his room to collect some clean clothes then went to take a shower. Thirty minutes later he was clean and dry and climbing into bed.

It was just after five pm when Hiccup woke. He dressed quickly, this time packing a spare change of clothes. By five thirty he was back at the aquarium. He met Astrid at the gate. She'd heard his bike pull up and had come out to meet him. Her face said it all.

"What happened?" Hiccup went to push past her, but Astrid grabbed his wrist.

"I'm so sorry Hiccup. I tried to call you, you didn't pick up."

Hiccup remembered suddenly that his phone was probably still sitting out on the rock.

"That's okay," he told Astrid. "Please, tell me what happened." He asked gently. Astrid looked so tired. It occurred to Hiccup that while he'd been home sleeping, she'd been here at work.

Astrid led him through to the pools. Hiccup was expecting to find them empty. He wasn't expecting to see Toothless in one of them.

He looked to Astrid, confused.

"His tail," she whispered.

A man Hiccup didn't know was in the pool with Toothless, moving him around in the water. Hiccup's eyes trailed down the sleek back. He gasped at the sight. Toothless' tail ended suddenly in white bandages. The flukes were gone.

"The infection was just too bad, necrosis was setting in, we couldn't save it." Astrid had tears in her eyes as she explained the procedure.

"But," Hiccup was in shock. "How's he supposed to swim without his tail?"

Astrid just shook her head wordlessly, tears spilling over. She wiped them away stubbornly and tried to laugh off the sudden show of emotion. "Ugh, sorry. Exhausted."

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her. "I should have been here." He felt so guilty. This was why he hadn't wanted to leave in the first place.

Astrid let her head rest on broad shoulders. "There wasn't anything you could have done." Her words were muffled slightly by Hiccup's sleeve. She pulled back to look up at Hiccup. "Besides, you're here now. Come on," Astrid scrubbed her hands over her tired face. "we've got work to do."

Hiccup let his bag drop to the cement. "Tell me what I need to do. Then you need to go home. You need to rest." It was his turn to tell Astrid to go.

"But you need-"

Hiccup cut her off. "I can handle this. You need to sleep." He pointed out the vet in the water. "I've got help if I need it. Please go home."

Astrid continued to protest as Hiccup led her out to her car and made her get in.

"You at least have a working phone," he tried to joke, but it fell flat. Neither of them were in the mood. "I'll call if anything changes." His words echoed Astrid's words from the morning. He hoped that he wouldn't have to make that call.

Once Astrid's car disappeared over the hill he walked back to the pool. The vet was finishing up and preparing to leave. He explained to Hiccup the different medications and ointments and showed him how to change Toothless' bandages.

The vet left soon after.

Hiccup sat by the pool and settled in for a long night.

...

Two days later it happened.

The sound of frenzied splashing and a cry for help drew Astrid from the office.

"Astrid! What's happening?" Hiccup was in the water with a writhing Toothless. They had been working on the exercise routine Astrid had come up with for the dolphin. "Toothless calm down! What's wrong with him?"

Astrid raced to the poolside and jumped in. She watched the two struggling in the water for a moment.

"I think-" she put a restraining hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Let him go, I think he's trying to swim."

Hiccup released Toothless and took a step back to lean against the pool wall. They watched the dolphin struggle, wiggling the tail that was no longer there. The grip on Hiccup's shoulder became tense, fingers gripped his shirt anxiously.

"Look!"

The clumsy movement evened out.

"He's swimming!" Hiccup punched a fist into the air. "Look at him go!" He threw his arms around a cheering Astrid. "This is amazing."

"You're such a dork," Astrid gave him a friendly shove. "But... you did well. This is all you. You've been working so hard with Toothless since we brought him in. You refused to give up when others would have."

They watched Toothless swim circles around the pool. The dolphin swam up to the adults and let out a whistle.

"You hungry bud?" Hiccup climbed from the pool and went to grab some fish from the fridge. At the sound of the fridge closing there was a bark and the slap of fin against cement. Stormfly rounded the corner of the building. "That seal has a sixth sense when it comes to meal time." He wandered back to the pool. "None for you, you have a whole ocean of fish out there."

Astrid snatched a fish to feed to the barking seal.

"Weren't you the one who told me she was a 'wild animal'?" Hiccup held out a fish for Toothless.

"She's Stormfly! She's special!" Astrid countered.

"She's spoilt, and I think you have a soft spot for seals," Hiccup teased.

"What's not to love?" Astrid climbed out of the water. "Toothless is looking really good. We might even be able to move him to the larger pool with Sneaky. We'll give it a day or two to see how he goes without his tail."

The two sat together by the edge of the pool, discussing strategies to strengthen the dolphin's swimming abilities.

Fishlegs ambled out from under the roof annex. He was clutching his ever present clipboard in his hands.

"Hey Fishlegs, did you hear the good news?" Hiccup waved over the larger boy. "Toothless is swimming! Isn't this great?"

"Uh, that's great Hiccup." Fishlegs wouldn't look the brunet in the eye. "Um, Astrid can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure Fishlegs, what is it?" Astrid rose gracefully to her feet and followed him into the office. Hiccup considered following her inside, but it was nice in the sun and Toothless was whistling cheerfully in the water. He knew there was a stash of toys on one of the shelves, something to keep the animals entertained and engaged. He dug through the toys and pulled out a few coloured rings. Astrid had explained that these would help Toothless to practice swimming through play.

"Hey Tooothlesss," Hiccup singsong-ed waving the red ring in front of the dolphin. "Look what I got." He tossed the ring into the water. "Uh, you're supposed to go after it," he said as he watched the ring sink to the bottom. He tossed another one, catching Stormfly's attention as he did. The seal dove into the water and snatched the ring as it was sinking.

"That's how you do it," Hiccup gestured to the seal gliding through the water. "Your turn bud." He threw another ring. Toothless dove down into the water, catching the ring neatly with his nose. Rising to the surface the dolphin flung the ring away.

"Really? That's how you want to play it?" Hiccup scolded good-naturedly. He turned his back to fetch the ring and was doused by a large splash of water. "Useless fish," he shook the water out of his hair. Hiccup could have sworn the dolphin's chirping sounded like laughter.

Astrid was returning from their office, brows knit together in a frown.

Hiccup caught the expression. "Everything okay?"

"Not really." The was a ladder leading into the water at the deeper end of the pool. Astrid leant against the railing. "Fishlegs has been running the numbers since we got the bill for Toothless' treatment. The aquarium just doesn't bring in the money it used to, especially with Berk being such a small town. Plus with the damage from the storm…"

Now it was Hiccup's turn to frown. "What are you saying?" He put down the toys he'd been holding. Stormfly waddled over to snatch another ring and dive into the pool. She chased Toothless through the water.

Astrid followed the animal's antics with her eyes. "We rely mainly on donations and admission fees. There's not enough money to keep this place open as a marine hospital. The board is considering shutting us down."

* * *

That was a roller coaster ride. So many ups and downs. Hope you enjoyed.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey guys, this one is shorter than usual. Had a crazy busy week with a job interview to prepare for, so I haven't had much time to write. Looking to get back on track this week. Writing some pretty big events that are coming up in the story.

Thank you so much for the reviews of the last chapter and thank your to everyone who has favourited or is following this story. I'm so happy that people seem to be enjoying this. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

* * *

 _Astrid followed the animal's antics with her eyes. "We rely mainly on donations and admission fees. There's not enough money to keep this place open as a marine hospital. The board is considering shutting this place down."_

* * *

"What?!" Hiccup's outburst startled the playful mammals. "But… what about the animals? What about Toothless?"

"We're looking at making arrangements for the animals that can't be released. There are other centres that are willing to take them in. Toothless-" Astrid sighed. "Toothless is more difficult." She explained. "He's too much work. There are talks about quality of life… he's a dolphin without a tail. No one wants him."

"Quality of life," Hiccup muttered. "Astrid, look at him! He's swimming! He's not in any pain! He has quality of life!" The young man was gesturing wildly. "We can't just give up on him!"

"What are we supposed to do Hiccup?" Astrid matched Hiccup in intensity. "There is no money! The board is going to put this place up for sale. What are you going to do then? You can't keep a dolphin in your backyard swimming pool!"

"I don't know," Hiccup groaned. He knew Astrid was right, but he wasn't ready to give up. "We have to try something. We could- I dunno- raise money somehow."

"What a fundraiser?"

Hiccup rubbed his chin deep in thought. "Maybe." He glanced back at Toothless. "I think I might have an idea."

Fishlegs was easy to find. He was still in the office Hiccup shared with Astrid. He looked up when Hiccup walked in.

"Astrid told you? I'm sorry Hiccup."

Hiccup sat at the seat across from the larger man.

"I can't just sit back and let this happen" Hiccup started. Fishlegs looked set to argue, but Hiccup refused to let him get a word in until he'd said his piece. "I wanted to try something. I thought maybe we could put Toothless' progress up on the website. We could do it for all the animals, we could ask for donations."

"You think we haven't considered this?" Fishlegs put down his clipboard. "It's a case of a too little, too late Hiccup."

"At least we could use it to find Toothless a home," Hiccup argued. "Generate some interest. I'm not going to let him die!"

"He's a dolphin with no tail!"

"So you and Astrid keep telling me." Hiccup stood to lean over the desk. "Hear me out Fishlegs. Toothless is one of a kind. And he deserves a chance. How many dolphins like him are out there? Surely someone will be willing to give him a chance."

"I just don't think we have the time," Fishlegs countered. "We could be closed in a matter of weeks. Nothing short of a miracle is going to save this place."

"Well, if that's what it takes, I'm willing to give it a shot."

Fishlegs exhaled in defeat. "What did you have in mind?"

"Cameras." Hiccup pointed out the window towards the pools. "We set up cameras looking into the water. Visitors to the website can watch the dolphins swimming around and we can put up the story of how Toothless came to be here. We could even set up a link so that people can donate towards the costs of relocating the animals. We've got nothing to lose," Hiccup turned back to Fishlegs. "We'll set it all up ourselves so there's no cost to the Aquarium. If it gains enough interest, we could host a fundraiser."

"It sounds like a lot of work-" Fishlegs interrupted.

"I'll do all the work myself, after hours," Hiccup promised.

"And we'll need to get approval from the board-"

"I know you can talk them around!"

Fishlegs raised a doubtful eyebrow. "I'll give it my best shot." He scribbled a few notes down on the page in front of him. "I'll get back to you with the board's response."

"It's going to work out." Hiccup refused to believe that it wouldn't.

…

It took the rest of the day to set everything up.

As promised, they had to complete their normal duties before they could begin, but during their lunch break Hiccup had disappeared into town with the aquarium's pickup and had returned with a box of cables and a three web cameras.

"Do you even know what you're doing?"

Astrid was sitting on the sun-warmed concreted. Her laptop had been retrieved from the office and was sitting in her lap streaming footage from the camera in Hiccup's hand. The mood had lightened considerably since the morning. They now had something to work towards and had hope that they might actually succeed in saving Toothless.

"How hard can it be?" Hiccup called down from the ladder he was clinging to. He was trying to position the camera on one of the support railings. "How's this?" He was perched fairly precariously, teetering over the water.

Astrid looked at the screen. "A little more to the left."

Hiccup stretched out further to reposition the camera. "Now?"

Astrid bit her lip in a grin. "A little more." She wasn't even looking at the computer anymore.

"Okay, how about now?"

"Juuust a little more to the left."

Astrid snorted as Hiccup overbalanced. His shoes could only grip so much and he was sent tumbling into the deep water. Astrid put the laptop aside and crawled to her knees beside the pool. Laughing as Hiccup spluttered to the surface.

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup swam over to the edge of the pool. Toothless swam up beside him, nudging playfully as the boy paddled.

"You should have seen your face!" Astrid sat back on her shins, hands braced on her thighs as she laughed.

Hiccup scowled. This larger pool had higher ledges than the smaller out door rehabilitation pools. They had moved Toothless once Astrid was confident in his swimming abilities. Now he and Sneaky shared the large pool, the two dolphins had seemed to hit it off straight away and had been playing while the two adults worked.

"Give me a hand?" Hiccup held out his arm to Astrid. Still laughing she nodded over towards the ladder. Hiccup splashed her.

"Really As? My shoes are full of water. Help me out here." He went to splash the laughing girl again. She held up her hands in defence.

"Okay! Okay! Calm down dolphin boy-"

"Dolphin boy? I'm not even-"

"Do you want a hand or not?" Astrid reached out and Hiccup grasped her hand. She counted down. "One, two-"

"Three!" Hiccup yanked hard, pulling his co-worker into the water.

"You dick!" Astrid gasped when she surfaced. "And when I was trying to help you."

Hiccup laughed. "You're the reason I'm in here in the first place."

"You looked like you needed to cool off," Astrid counted. "Here, I'll help you again." She splashed the boy right in the face.

"Help drown me maybe."

"I can do that!" Astrid kicked up out of the water and put her hands on Hiccup's shoulders to push him under.

"Can you just-" Hiccup struggled to grasp Astrid's arms between dunkings. "Stop. For one second?" He managed to get his arms around her wiggling body.

"Make me!"

They were treading water face-to-face. One of Hiccup's shoes had fallen to the bottom of the pool in the struggle. Astrid was still struggling playfully. Her hair had come loose from its usual neat braid. It fanned out in the water around her. Not pausing to think about it Hiccup leant forward and captured Astrid's lips with his own. His heart was pounding in his chest. Astrid had gone still in his arms and they started to sink under the surface. Hiccup let go of Astrid to free up his hands for swimming. She was staring at him with wide eyes.

"That'll do it." She whispered. They paddled in awkward silence.

"Um, I- uh," Hiccup glanced down. "I uh, need to retrieve my shoe."

Astrid grabbed him by the collar of his polo shirt and pulled him close. Her lips touched his, briefly, then she smirked, dunked Hiccup back under the water and turned, swimming for the ladder as fast as she could.

Hiccup spluttered to the surface.

Astrid was already climbing the ladder out of the water.

"Astrid."

She turned and looked down at Hiccup. She gathered her hair in her hands and pulled it over one shoulder, twisting to wring the water out.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said softly. "We're co-workers. Nothing good ever comes workplace relationships."

"Astrid."

"We're both probably just over thinking it anyway. We've spent so much time together looking after Toothless, when really, we hardly know each other. You've been here, what three weeks?"

"Are you going to let me say any-"

"There's nothing you need to say Hiccup," Astrid cut him off. "We were playing around and we both got carried away." She stormed off towards their office.

"I don't understand bud," Hiccup turned to the dolphin. Maybe he had acted too rashly. He thought the teasing and the flirting had been there. Perhaps that was just Astrid being friendly? Had he gone too far?

If the dolphin knew, he said nothing. Hiccup rolled his eyes. Of course a dolphin would have nothing useful to add. He was the one talking to dolphins like they could respond and kissing girls who obviously didn't like him that way. Hiccup paused in his thoughts. She had kissed him back. Just a peck. What did that even mean?

Hiccup shook the thoughts from his head. Maybe it was better just to drop it. He spotted his shoe sitting on the bottom of the pool and drove down to retrieve it. This was going to make working together so very awkward.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys, I'm sorry for the late update. I went to visit my parents last weekend and then I got to meet my nephew who is super cute. I kept putting off working on this around work and school but I finally had some time to finish up this chapter. YAY!

Thanks again everyone who has read and reviewed or favourited! It gives me the motivation to keep going.

* * *

"Um, excuse me. Is this the Berk Aquarium and Marine Centre?"

The speaker was a woman in her late thirties. She had wound down the window of her minivan and was gazing uncertainly at the building she'd parked in front of.

"Yeah, this is it," Hiccup pulled off his motorcycle helmet. He'd only pulled up a few minutes before the van had pulled into the parking lot. "The, uh, sign blew down in a storm we had. We haven't had the chance to fix it."

The woman looked Hiccup up and down. He unzipped his jacket so his polo with the aquarium's logo was visible.

"I work here," he told her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"We're here to see Toothless!" A young voice called out from the back seat.

"We saw the video online," the older woman explained.

"I only put that up a few days ago," Hiccup wandered over to the van.

"Michaela is obsessed with dolphins." The woman was climbing out of the van. "Always has been. I'm not surprised she found this so quickly." She reached for the handle to slide open the passenger door. "She hasn't stopped talking about it since. Toothless this, Toothless that."

"That's fantastic," Hiccup's smile faltered slightly. "It's just that, Astrid - our Vet – doesn't really like the general public hanging around the hospital."

The open door of the van revealed a young girl of about six or seven. She had shiny black curls that hung to her shoulders, bright brown eyes and- Hiccup's eyes drifted downwards and saw that both of the little girl's legs stopped abruptly just above where her knee's should have been.

He swallowed what he'd been about to say and bent down to the child's height. "But let's see if we can change her mind."

He listened to the small girl's cheerful chatter about all the cool things she'd found out about dolphins while her mum unloaded her wheelchair from the van.

"Did you know that dolphins aren't even fish!" Michaela was gushing. "They're mammals like us."

"Sweetie he works here, I'm sure he knows that already." Her mum was hanging a backpack on the chairs handles.

Michaela rolled her eyes at her mum and Hiccup laughed.

"What's your name?" Michaela asked.

"My name is Hiccup."

The little girl laughed uproariously at that.

"That's not your real name!"

"It's what everyone calls me, look," Hiccup showed Michaela his badge. "It's even on my name tag."

"This is my mum." The girl explained matter-of-factly.

"Charlotte." Her mum supplied.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Hiccup went ahead to open the door for mother and daughter. "Now who's ready to meet Toothless?"

The little girl squealed in delight as Hiccup led the pair inside. The lights hadn't been turned on yet. Technically the aquarium wouldn't be open for another hour. The tanks along the back wall cast an eerie blue glow across the foyer. Hiccup went around the counter to flick the lights on revealing the first floor of the large building.

"Cool." Michaela was gazing around in wonder.

"Over here," Hiccup gestured over to one of the large glass windows. "Now wait for it." Together they waited.

"There!" The little girl pointed as two dolphins swam past. Toothless and Sneaky had been put together to keep each other company. Despite his missing fins Toothless was able to keep up with the older dolphin. "Mummy, look! He's just like me!"

"Ready to go meet him?"

The aquarium's lift was old and clunky, but it got them to the second floor without incident. Though the lights up here had not been switched on, the morning light streamed in through the windows. Hiccup escorted them through the 'Staff Only' door and out into the hospital area of the aquarium.

Astrid was already at work. Since they'd received the news of the aquariums possible closure, she'd been coming in earlier to work with the animals that would eventually be released. She was sitting on the edge of the pool, in her short-sleeved wetsuit.

Things had been slightly awkward between them since the kiss. They'd only known each other for a few weeks. Astrid's argument had been that it was wrong, that they were co-workers, despite Hiccup pointing out that it wouldn't be the case for long.

"Hey Astrid, this is Michaela," Hiccup ignored the glare he was getting. He knew he was going to get it for bringing visitors into the restricted area. "She's here to meet Toothless."

"She is?" Astrid's expression eased as she waved hello to Michaela and her mother.

Charlotte could catch the looks passing between Hiccup and Astrid, even if her daughter couldn't.

"We really don't want to bother," she started. "I understand that this is a hospital… it's just… it's been such a long time since I've seen her this excited about something."

Astrid's features softened further.

"It's not a bother." She lifted the box sitting beside her. "Would you like to help me feed the dolphins while Hiccup gets changed?"

"Thank you," Hiccup mouthed the words from behind their visitor's backs.

"You so owe me," Astrid mimed back. Hiccup grinned and ran to their office to put on his wetsuit. By the time he returned Astrid and Michaela had a crowd. Barf and Belch were sitting on the railings opposite and Stormfly had appeared like magic, just as she did at every feeding time.

The little girl was in her swimmers. They were pastel pink and clashed awfully with the fluoro Floaties Hiccup recognised from the stretcher used to rescue Toothless. She was gleefully feeding the dolphins and the greedy seal, encouraged by the joyful clicks and whistles coming from the pool. Astrid and Charlotte were discussing how to get the girl down to platform floating on the surface of the pool.

"If you don't mind, I could just lift her down," Astrid was saying. She was balanced on the platform already. It was pretty thoroughly secured to the pool wall.

Hiccup collected a few toys on his way back to the pool. He dumped them on the platform and climbed down into the water.

"Hey buddy," he rubbed a hand over smooth flesh, down the dolphin's back to grip the dorsal fin. He took a breath just in time as the dolphin dove down, down to the bottom of the water, pulling Hiccup along with him. They streamed through the water, past the window that looked into the first floor of the aquarium and back up to breech the surface.

Astrid and Michaela were sitting on the platform with their legs dangling in the water.

"He _does_ look like a drowned rat." The little girl was giggling. Hiccup flicked his fingers splashing both girls.

Hiccup rested one elbow on the platform to keep himself afloat.

"You can pat him if you like, just be careful," Hiccup cautioned.

"He's so smooth!" The girl was on her knees.

"They need to be," Astrid explained. "So they can move through the water really fast." She passed over a few of the toys Hiccup had brought over. "Dolphins are very smart, very inquisitive creatures. We need to find ways to keep them entertained or they cause trouble. Especially these two." She let Michaela throw some of the rings into the water.

"Race ya bud," Hiccup dove down into the water, swimming as fast as he could. By the time Toothless had scooped up two of the rings, Hiccup was just reaching for his first. He surfaced with a gasp and held the ring triumphantly aloft.

"You are a dork," Astrid dropped her face into a palm.

"I am a professional," Hiccup corrected, tossing the rings back to Michaela.

They played in the water for an hour, taking turns throwing toys for the dolphins to collect.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye.

Hiccup stood on the edge of the pool, towelling his hair dry. Michaela was back in her chair her and they had said their goodbyes. Astrid and Hiccup waved as Charlotte wheeled her daughter back into the building.

"Did you see him Mummy? Toothless could swim so fast. _And_ he could do everything that the other dolphin could do."

They disappeared inside. Hiccup turned to Astrid, hands up to hold off the scolding he was expecting.

"Now before you tell me off about visitors in a restricted area-"

Astrid cut him off. "You did a really good thing."

"Wait, I did?" Hiccup draped his towel in the sun to dry.

"You made that kid's day. Toothless showed her it's okay to be different."

"I suppose so," Hiccup struggled to reach the zipper pull on the back of his wetsuit. "She just really, really wanted to meet Toothless. I couldn't say no to that face. Actually," he pulled his arms out of the suit and folded it down to his waist. "maybe there's something in this." He wandered absentmindedly into the office to collect his clothes.

"Are you going to explain what's going on in that mind?" Astrid had followed him into the room. She waited while Hiccup shrugged his polo shirt over his head.

"There are therapy dogs, but what about therapy dolphins," Hiccup was typing excitedly at the laptop. "Maybe this is what we need. _Maybe_ we could get funding. We wouldn't have to close down!"

"That's a lot of maybe's," Astrid considered the idea. "We'd have to run it by the board. There's all sorts of things we'd need to sort out. I doubt the aquarium has insurance for this kind of thing." She sighed at the manic look of hope in Hiccup's eye. "It's a good idea, but I don't know if we have the time or the resources to get it off the ground."

"We could have a fundraiser. We could contact charity organisations. We can show these people what we can do."

"Let's start with Fishlegs," Astrid suggested. "Run it past him and see what he thinks. We'll need a proposal to take to the board. He's good at that kind of thing."

Hiccup was nodding. "Okay, let's do that. I'll- I'll get a chance to see him some point today. Until then I'll work out some of the finer details." He glanced down at his shorts sitting on the desk. "Uh, can I have a moment to get changed." He blushed.

"Huh, oh, sure." Before she left, Astrid laid her hand on Hiccup's arm. "We'll figure this out. It's not over yet."

Hiccup placed his hand briefly over Astrid's. "Not by a long shot."


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys! If you're still following this;

1\. Thank you! I appreciate it so much and I really hope you have enjoyed this story so far!

2\. I am still writing this and it will be finished! I really have no excuse for not posting this other than not feeling like writing after 40 hour working weeks, but I'm going to start putting a little more effort into it! Again, your patience is very much appreciated!

* * *

"So I've been doing some research-"

Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs were sitting around Hiccup's lounge room coffee table. There was a laptop set up streaming video from the aquarium. Hiccup found himself logging on whenever he wasn't at work.

"-and there is a lot to factor in. Both for the fundraiser and the program- "

They were working on their plan to get funding for the aquarium. Fishlegs was reading out figures written on the piece of paper in his hand.

"-plus the cost of insurance and making the poolside more accessible to people with disabilities. We're looking at a decent amount of money." He put the paper on the table so the others could read the number.

Snotlout whistled appreciatively at the large number. He was sitting with the twins on the couch. Hiccup wasn't sure who had invited them, but they had turned up just after Fishlegs and with beer. They'd spent most of the evening exploring the Haddock house, despite Hiccup's pleas to not touch anything. Stoick was out on a fishing trip, leaving the large house empty for a few days.

"But it's doable right?" Astrid took a long swig of her beer and set the bottle on the table, picking up Fishlegs's notes and going over the figures.

"In theory, yes, it's doable."

"I don't understand. What's so great about this dolphin anyway?" Snotlout crossed his arms. "It's just another fish right?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're joking," He told his cousin.

Snotlout looked confused. "Joking about what?"

Tuffnut laughed. "Even we know dolphins are mammals." Ruffnut joined in the laughter.

"I _knew_ that," Snotlout glared at the twins. "Fish can be mammals."

"Fish lay eggs." Astrid pointed out helpfully.

"Don't all mammals?" Snotlout was looking more lost by the second.

" _We're_ mammals," Hiccup was grinning at Astrid who'd mimed slamming her palm against her forehead.

"Wait. What?" Snotlout searched the faces in the room. "But we're people."

The small group laughed.

"I could explain it to you, but I'm sure it would go right over your head," Hiccup laughed. He turned back to Astrid and Fishlegs. "This is great news. Where do we start?"

"Nothing is certain yet," Fishlegs cautioned against Hiccup's enthusiasm. "I've still got to talk to the board when they meet in two days. They could still say no."

"Yes, but we've got a plan," Hiccup refused to consider the possibility that all this work could be in vain. He'd been acting overly optimistic since their idea's first conception, despite Astrid and Fishlegs attempts to keep him realistic about the whole thing.

Fishlegs sighed in surrender. "Yes, we have a plan."

"There's a lot to do," Astrid had picked up the list, scanning over the point. "For the fundraiser to be considered, we'll need to find businesses willing to sponsor us."

"The aquarium is such a big part of this town. We will find the sponsors!" Hiccup turned back to his computer and opened a new tab to begin a search of the local businesses.

...

Hours later Astrid gently shut Hiccup's laptop. "You need to take a break." They were the only two left at the house. Fishlegs had driven a drunk Snotlout home an hour ago and the twins had disappeared into the night with four rolls of toilet paper from the closet in the laundry.

Hiccup had moved from the floor to the couch. One elbow was propped on the arm rest, with his head resting in his palm. His other and was deftly pulling bits of label off the bottle held between his knees.

"I will," Hiccup promised. "As soon as I know Toothless is safe."

"You need to take a break now. It's late. You're not going to be much use to Toothless if you're exhausted." Astrid moved to sit beside Hiccup. "Another?" She gestured to the empty bottle Hiccup was playing with.

He shook his head. He could already feel the alcohol as a warm fizz in his veins.

Astrid shrugged and reached for another beer on the coffee table. She popped the capped and took a sip, grimacing at the warm bitter liquid. Replacing the bottle on the table Astrid attempted a change of subject.

"So you grew up here?" She stood and wandered around the living room, taking the chance to have a look at the few pictures placed around the room. "Is this you?" Astrid picked up a photograph of a fourteen-year-old Hiccup, all knobby-kneed and gap-toothed.

"I want to say no, but that would be lying." Hiccup pushed himself up from the couch, forgetting the bottle on his lap. It fell with a soft _thud_ and rolled to knock into the table. "Uhh, oops." He burst into a grin. Standing upright had sent the alcoholic buzz straight to his head and he stumbled around the seat.

Astrid laughed. "Look at you. You had, what three, four beers? You're such a lightweight."

"What? No way, it takes more than three beers to get me drunk." Hiccup made a show of flexing his biceps. His pale skin had freckled from his work in the sun.

"You are a pillar of manliness." Astrid mocked the display.

"Where is this coming from?" Hiccup asked. "Besides, you were the one plying me with alcohol. Were you trying to get me drunk?"

"Yes, you dork." Astrid put down the picture she was still holding. She rolled her eyes. "That was my plan all along. Get you drunk and then ravage your body." It was said sarcastically, but Hiccup blushed. Astrid chuckled at that.

"I… Look, things have been awkward since…" She trailed off. Hiccup knew she was referring to the kiss. He leant against the arm of the chair. Astrid came up to sit beside him.

Hiccup gazed at Astrid. Wisps of hair had come loose from her usual braid to hang about her face in a golden halo.

"They don't have to be," Hiccup stumbled over the words. "Awkward, I mean." His hand came up automatically to nervously ruffle through his hair. They stared at each other.

Hiccup leaned forward, just little. Astrid copied the movement. Closer. Eyes closed. Lips met. Tentatively at first but the actions grew bolder. Hiccup's hand came up to tangle long fingers in silky blonde hair. Astrid's hands were on his shoulders. Clutching. Pulling him closer as their mouths moved hungrily against one another.

"Are you sure about this?" Hiccup pulled away. "You're not going to start avoiding me again are you? Because that would be- "

"Shut up, you're drunk." Astrid silenced any further comments by pressing her mouth against Hiccup's once more.

…

Hiccup woke up choking. There was hair in his mouth. There was hair everywhere. He tried to roll over but there was someone lying on his arm.

Hiccup opened his eyes.

Astrid was looking back at him.

"Were you watching me sleep?" He asked, cheeks burning with embarrassment. They were both lying fully clothed on top up Hiccup's bed.

Astrid shrugged. "You were drooling on my hair." She brushed the waves of blonde hair off the pillow. "Normally, I only have to deal with animals doing that. You're lucky you're almost as cute as they are."

Hiccup blushed again.

Astrid rolled over onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling. Hiccup copied the movement. This was how they'd fallen asleep the night before.

"Your room is nothing like what I expected," Astrid commented, taking the opportunity to look around now that the early morning sun was casting a pale orange light through the window.

"What were you expecting?" Hiccup had deemed Astrid unfit to drive home the night before. They had sat in his room swapping stories from each other's childhoods while she sobered up, but had fallen asleep before she could leave.

"You told me you'd been obsessed with dragons through high school. I was expecting posters, figurines, you know, nerdy stuff."

"Really Astrid, I'm not _that_ nerdy. It was more like books and roleplay and-" Hiccup cut himself off when he saw Astrid trying to hold back a laugh. "I'm digging myself into a hole here, aren't I."

She nodded. "That's okay, I'll help pull you back out again. Besides, that nerdy stuff got you a job at the aquarium."

Hiccup scowled. "No, my Dad got me that job."

"But you did all the work to get your degree, without that you wouldn't be much use to us." Astrid countered. "There would have been no point in hiring you."

Hiccup gave her a pointed look.

"He probably thought he was helping you out. That's what parents do," Astrid tried.

"Your parents maybe," Hiccup sighed. Astrid had told him the night before that her family lived on the other side of the country. She didn't get to visit them very often. "I just feel like everything I do is a disappointment to him. Never joined the swim team in high school never earned the degree he wanted me to have, I refuse to join the family business. I get that he wants me to follow in his footsteps, but that's not what I want for myself. All those things… It isn't me Astrid, and it never will be, but he can't see it."

"I'm sorry Hiccup," Astrid sat up. She ran a hand through Hiccup's thick russet hair.

"I've grown used to it," Hiccup shrugged it off. "I just like to complain about it. Very cathartic. Enough about my problems, we should probably head in to work." He glanced at his watch to check the time. "Want some breakfast first?"

They ate quickly having overslept after such a late night. Astrid drove them both in to work, only arriving a few minutes late. They'd gone their separate ways to start their morning chores. Hiccup headed into the main building which was due to open for the day.

The staff had been reduced to the bare minimum recently and there was just one person on the ticket desk. Hiccup nodded in greeting and glanced down at the paper they were reading.

A shadow moved across the entry way and Hiccup frowned.

"What are you doing here?" Hiccup waited as the older man walked over. The high of the morning was suddenly gone.

"Really Hiccup, this is a public space," Viggo gestured to the room around him. "And from what I've heard you're not in the position to be denying people entry."

"Do I need to ask you again?" Hiccup crossed his arms on his chest, expression fixed in a scowl.

"If you must know, I'm here because this building and all the surrounding land will be on the market soon." Viggo spoke as he ran a calculating hand up the wooden pillar beside him. "Drago is looking to expand his company. This bay is the perfect natural marina, with room for several new fishing boats."

"I guess word travels fast," Hiccup leant against the counter. The news of the possible shut down had been in the morning papers. "But nothing's certain yet."

"Is that so? Got a few surprises up your sleeve I supposed." Viggo examined his fingernails. "I'm afraid this is going to be a case of too little too late."

Hiccup eyed Viggo. The older man's face was unreadable. Hiccup tried to school the expression on his own face. "We'll see about that," he said. Not wanting to hang he turned and stormed off towards the stairs, away from the shady character behind him.

Upstairs he shoved the doors leading to the staff only area. They crashed open, the sound echoing out over the pools.

"Everything okay?" Astrid was sitting in the sun, clipboard in hand. Her yellow hair caught the light and shone golden.

"Define okay." Hiccup climbed up and sat on the railing behind the girl so he could see what she was writing. She was filling out an order form for supplies. Perhaps the last one she'd complete if this fundraiser did not go to plan. Astrid put down her work and leant back against Hiccup's legs, tilting her head up so that she could look at him.

"Drago Bludvist wants to buy the aquarium," Hiccup's shoulders slumped. "I ran into one of his men downstairs." He climbed down from the railing, carefully manoeuvring around Astrid on the ground. "If he buys this place, it's all over." Hiccup was pacing. "There's no hope for keeping it open. He wants to turn it into a marina. "Expand the business" so Viggo said. So it's not just us that'll suffer for it! His dodgy practices will wipe out all the marine life up and down the coast. I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of his traps that caught Toothless. The man is a criminal, but Dad said no one will go against him." Astrid watched Hiccup's rant silently, allowing him to let it all out.

"When I returned to Berk I was so set to do something about it, but I got so caught up with everything."

"Is that really such a bad thing?" Astrid finally cut off the tirade. "You're doing so much good here. By all accounts, Drago is a mad man, but he's got the biggest fishing business on the East coast. What were you going to do? Try and show him the error of his ways?" She stood up and walked over to Hiccup, grabbing his hands and bringing the pacing to a halt. "You probably would not have found _and saved_ Toothless if you'd been off waging war against Drago Bludvist." She threw out a hand to gesture towards the dolphins playing in the pool. "

"Maybe I could have saved others."

Astrid looked Hiccup in the eye. "Don't do anything stupid. We still have a chance to stop all this."

"I know. You're right," Hiccup shook his head. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."

...

"Drago? Drago Bludvist?"

Hiccup squinted through the dark warehouse looking for the owner. A tall thick-set man in a woollen beanie scowled and jerked his head back out towards the docks. Hiccup mumbled a thanks and wandered back out into the sunlight, wondering how someone could possibly stand wearing a beanie in the heatwave Berk was having.

"Mr Bludvist?" Hiccup cautiously made his way up to the older man.

"What boy?" Drago hadn't even turned to face the young man and continued to call out orders to the rest of his men.

"Uh, you probably don't remember me but- "

"-but your Stoick's runt." The dark man paused and turned towards Hiccup, his eyes flickered briefly, sizing the boy up.

"Well, yes-" Hiccup hesitated. "Stoick is my father, but that's not what I'm here about. I wanted to talk to you about your fishing practices."

Drago laughed. A menacing sound from low in his throat. "You want me to change my ways, Hic- _cup_?" He turned back to his men.

"I just wanted to show you that there are alternatives," Hiccup tried to move round in front of the older man who was now ignoring him. "Practices that cause less harm to the environment. Not to mention, many of your methods… well, they're illegal."

This got Drago's attention. "Is that a threat?" He growled.

"What? Uh, no, no threat. I just wanted you to consider- "

"I alone control these waters. You hear me boy? There is nothing for me to _consider._ "

"You can't do this." Hiccup resisted the temptation to stomp his foot in anger. He was getting nowhere.

"Watch me, boy."

Frustrated, Hiccup turned. Maybe if he came back with reinforcements, they could work together to change Drago's mind. Something had to be done! Maybe he could go to the port authorities. Surely there was someone who was willing to listen.

As he left the docks, he missed the scowl in Drago Bludvist's cold, calculating face.


	10. Chapter 10

See! I am still writing this! I'm just trying to find the time but it is definitely still going! I'm sorry for the long wait times and I really appreciate you sticking with this!

* * *

Chapter Ten

The chirp of the doorbell announced his presence as the door swung open. At the same moment Hiccup felt the artificial chill of air-conditioning hitting his face. He was halfway down the main street of Berk, visiting businesses hoping to find sponsors for their fundraiser.

Fishlegs was working down the opposite side of the street. The plan was to meet up at the end and compare potential sponsors.

Hiccup had arrived back at work after meeting Drago to find that Fishlegs had made up simple information sheets to hand out to businesses. The posters explained what they were trying to do with a link to the website set up to view Toothless.

So far Hiccup had visited four stores. Many shop owners appeared to be interested and keen to help. The aquarium had been open in Berk for over thirty years and everyone had fond memories of visiting the attraction and were shocked at the possibility of the closure. Hiccup had already found two businesses willing to pledge their support and donate towards the fundraiser if it went forward.

He made his way towards the front counter, pausing at the drinks fridge for a bottle of water. It was hot outside, summer had well and truly arrived in Berk.

Paying for his drink, Hiccup struck up a conversation with the sales person who rung up the sale. The manager wasn't in so Hiccup left one of his factsheets behind and moved on to the next store.

It was 2pm when Hiccup met Fishlegs at the end of the main street. He was sitting in the shade as the larger boy waved excitedly.

"Four sponsors Hiccup! First day and I already got four! How did you go?" He was breathing heavily as he sat on the bench beside Hiccup.

"This is fantastic Fishlegs!" Hiccup passed him the notebook he'd been carrying. "With my four that makes eight sponsors already. We can really do this! Save Toothless and the aquarium."

"It's a great start," Fishlegs agreed. "We've still got a long way to go. I'll take this list to the board tomorrow with the plans we made last night. We've done everything we can for now."

Hiccup climbed wearily to his feet. "I just hope it's enough."

...

"Eight sponsors, that's great!"

Hiccup and Astrid were sitting on the edge of Toothless' pool. They sat side-by-side with their feet dangling in the water and taking turns throwing toys to the two dolphins in the pool. The heat of the day was still present in the warm cement. Though the sun had finally set, the early heat lingered. It was going to be a warm night.

"I don't know how we're supposed to just sit around and wait for tomorrow's decision." Hiccup kicked some water up at the playful dolphin who was nosing at his feet.

"We've done everything we can," Astrid examined her hands carefully as she spoke.

"That's what Fishlegs said," Hiccup sighed, glancing at the girl beside him. "Why aren't you excited about this? This is a chance to help all the animals here, not just Toothless."

Astrid raised her head slowly.

"I am excited," she promised. "It's just…" She took a breath, deciding the best way to continue.

"What? You've been quiet all afternoon. What's wrong Astrid?" Hiccup pulled his feet from the water and turned to face his friend.

"The x-ray we took of Toothless this afternoon. I found… something on it." Astrid maintained eye contact with Hiccup as she spoke. "I still need to confirm it. I sent an email to the Clearwater Marine Centre over in Florida for one of their vets to check."

"Check what?"

"There's a lump… on Toothless' spine." Astrid beckoned the friendly dolphin over. "It could be nothing… but I don't think it is."

"Okay, so if the fundraiser goes well we can fix this right?"

"Maybe? I don't know Hiccup." Astrid searched for the right words, biting her lip in concentration.  
"Dolphins… they're like humans," she explained. "Damage to the spinal cord can result in more problems than the inability to walk, or in Toothless's case, swim. Damage to the nervous system could cause issues with the heart or lungs."

"But he was healing so well," Hiccup glanced at the churning water. Toothless and Sneaky were playing a game of tag. Astrid followed his gaze to the dolphins.

"I think it's the way he's swimming." Astrid pointed a tanned arm towards Toothless's swishing tail. "Dolphins swim by moving their tails up and down," she demonstrated, waving the outstretched hand up and down. "But watch him, Toothless is moving his tail side to side. Without his fin, he's had to find a new way to swim. Dolphins weren't built to move this way."

"So… you're saying… even if we find a way to save this place, Toothless could still die?" Hiccup ran a hand through his hair trying to process this new information.

"It's possible," Astrid put a hand on Hiccup's knee. "I'm sorry Hiccup. I've never seen anything like Toothless before. I had no idea that amputating his tail would cause him further injury and now… I don't know how to fix him." Her voice was rough; like she was holding back tears.

"It's not your fault," Hiccup placed his hand on top of Astrid's. He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

...

It was late when Hiccup got home. He'd expected the house to be empty, but his Dad's car was parked outside when he turned into the driveway.

He cut the engine to his bike and removed his helmet. Letting himself into the house, Hiccup left his helmet on the table by the door.

"Dad?" Shrugging out of his jacket, he called out to his father, but got no response. "Dad, you home?"

All the lights were on inside, but upon investigation only the kitchen held any occupants.

Stoick sat at the kitchen table, staring at the empty glass in his large, weather-beaten hand.

"You went and spoke to Drago today." It wasn't posed as question.

Hiccup went to the fridge to get a drink. "Yeah, I- wait, how do you know that?" He stood, one hand on holding the door wide open as he peered over it at his father.

"I got a visit from the Department of Fisheries this afternoon. They're doing an audit of the entire business, going over everything, looking for an excuse to shut me down and it came with a message from Drago."

"What?" Hiccup let the door swing shut. "What did he say?"

"We both know Drago isn't fool enough to visit me himself. He sent one of his men." Stoick finally looked up at his son.

"Dad, I can expla-"

"How could you be so foolish?" Stoick pounded the table with a large fist.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup placed his hands on the bench between him and his father. "I didn't know he would do anything. We were just talking."

"You deliberately went behind my back!"

"You never explicitly said-"

"I warned you! I told you to stay away and you-"

They were cutting each other off, both Haddock men getting angrier as the other interrupted.

"No! It wasn't like that." Hiccup pleaded for his father to listen. "I just wanted to talk to him. Really! I thought-"

"You thought you could reason with a madman. You can't Hiccup!" Stoick stood from the table.

"I said I was sorry!"

"This time sorry doesn't cut it. I could lose my license." Stoick ran a tired hand through his beard.

"Surely it won't come to that." Hiccup moved around the bench towards his father.

"Drago has manipulated a lot of people into doing his dirty work. There is no telling what that man might do and you are only making this situation much more difficult."

"Well then I'll-"

"No, Hiccup," Stoick sighed sadly. "you've done enough, just… leave it alone."

"But Dad-"

Stoick roared. "I said that's enough!"

"I was trying to help!" Both father and son were yelling now.

"And look where it got us!"

Hiccup opened his mouth to argue, but changed his mind suddenly. He spun on his feet and stormed towards the kitchen door.

"We're not finished. Where are you going?"

"Out." Hiccup paused in the doorway. "Don't bother waiting up."

He stomped out into the hall towards the entryway. He needed to clear his head. So much bad news in one day. His dad was never going to see his point of view. Why did he still bother trying to get his dad to see it his way?

Hiccup's helmet was still sitting on the table by the front door. He snatched it on his way out and shoved it on. The night was finally beginning to cool but Hiccup decided not to grab his jacket on the way out.

He mounted his bike and started the engine, giving it a good rev as he put it in gear. He could see the silhouette of his father in the kitchen window, pacing. Hiccup shook his head and let out the clutch taking off down the street.

He drove through town aimlessly, waiting for his head to clear. He considered going to Astrid's before realising he didn't actually know her address. Instead Hiccup turned towards the aquarium.

There was no traffic at this time of night. The wind felt good on his bare arms. Hiccups squinted into the distance. There was something coming towards him. A car. Black with no headlights speeding in the opposite direction. Hiccup frowned and slowed down but the car sped past without incident. Hiccup slowed further and pulled to the side of the road. There was an odd smell to the air. A jarring mix of saltwater and smoke. But there was nothing out here. Just the aquarium.

With a suddenly pounding heart, Hiccup pulled back onto the road and sped off towards the aquarium… and Toothless.


	11. Chapter 11

Guess what? Another update! I've had a pretty chill week and my writers block lifted long enough for me to write another chapter! Yay!

I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who left a review or favourited or even just read the last chapter. You all rock!

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Stoick woke early after an unsettled night.

After Hiccup had stormed out of the house he had continued to pace angrily around the kitchen. His stubborn son just didn't understand what he was getting himself into. His mother had been the same, and seeing the same obstinate attitude in his only child made Stoick miss her all the more. She would have known how to talk to their son without letting it escalate into yet another argument.

From the kitchen, Stoick had moved to the lounge room, determined to wait his son out. Once he'd cleared his head, Hiccup would sneak back into the house if past quarrels were any indication.

But Hiccup had not come home. Figuring that Hiccup had gone to see that dolphin of his, or maybe even the girl from the aquarium – a father could only hope – Stoick had gone off to bed.

He hadn't slept well. Though the night had cooled, the scent of smoke hung in the air. Faint at first, the smell grew strong enough to wake Stoick from uneasy dreams.

Anxious from a night of little sleep Stoick rose and made his way to the kitchen. A quick peak inside Hiccup's room told him his son had not returned during the night.

A dark feeling in the pit of his stomach told Stoick to get in the car and drive to the aquarium. A believer in gut instinct, Stoick followed this feeling. Out of the driveway, up the street and over the rise. The entire town of Berk was laid out before him. Stoick's blood ran cold when he spotted the source of the smoke.

Dirty black clouds billowed up from the Berk Aquarium on the point.

Stoick pressed his foot down on the pedal, willing the car to go faster, _faster_.

The small carpark was packed with emergency vehicles. Men in bright protective gear were shuffling around, winding up long hoses. There were a number of police officers taking notes. One was talking to a girl about Hiccup's age. She was dressed in a polo shirt bearing the aquarium's logo.

"Astrid?" Stoick saw the girl and took a guess at her identity. She turned, locking eyes with him.

"Mr Haddock?" She wandered over. "They're just finishing up." Astrid shrugged towards the firemen giving the building one last hose down. "We got lucky, the main building seems to be untouched but we lost part of the clinic."

"Did Hiccup come in with you?" "Is Hiccup here?"

The questions were asked at the same time.

Astrid and Stoick stared at each other for a moment.

"We had an argument," Stoick admitted. "He took his bike-" He glanced around the car park again, worried he'd missed his son's bike between the cars and the firetrucks, but it wasn't there. "-but he must not be here." With an internal sigh of relief, he turned back to the girl who had paled. "What?"

"Hiccup doesn't park in the carpark; he rolls his bike behind the fence…" She trailed off and was running. One of the firemen caught her, stopping her from passing through the gate.

"Wait," Astrid struggled. "We need to check, is there a motorbike here?"

"Motorbike? We haven't seen anything. We've been working to stop the fire from spreading to the main aquarium."

"Who called in the fire?" Stoick had reached Astrid and the fireman.

"It was anonymous; the caller never gave a name." The fireman still held Astrid still. Stoick put a calming hand on the girl's shoulder. "Let them check, he might not even be here." Neither of them believed it for a moment.

There was a shout, echoing back from behind the aquarium.

 _"Holy shit! She was right! There's someone in there!"_

Astrid took an unconscious step forward. "Oh god, Hiccup. He _was_ in there."

One of the fireman came running out to grab some equipment from one of the trucks.

 _"Call an ambulance!"_

He directed two more men to follow him back behind the building, one of them was talking quickly into a radio, requesting back up.

The fireman holding Astrid was gone. She took her chance.

Sprinting through the gate she ran around the building. She skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner, taking the damage in.

The normally tidy area was a mess. It looked almost as though another storm had blown through upending benches and shelves. There was debris in the pools and strewn about. It looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to one of the pumps.

The windows of the main building had been broken. Glass shards glittered in the early morning light.

The clinic.

Astrid gasped.

The clinic was a guttered, blackened mess on one end. The fire crew had managed to contain the damage mostly to one end of the building. The side with their offices had not been completely destroyed.

Where was Hiccup?

Firemen were working gathering around the building, talking quickly to each other.

 _"Can we shift some of this debris around?"_

Oh gods, he wasn't inside was he?

 _"Every minute counts. If we can't move this-"_

 _"Why is this all piled up like this?"_

A roaring filled Astrid's ears and her vision tunnelled. A large hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Hiccup's father was pushing her down to sit on an upturned bucket.

"Sit down lass. There is nothing we can do but let them do their job."

Astrid looked up at Stoick. She could see a bead of sweat as it dripped from his brow. He was just as anxious as she was to get in there and help.

But they were both helpless to watch.

 _"…I'm in…!"_

Astrid shot back to her feet, straining to catch a glimpse inside the building.

 _"…Watch that wall… it's already partially collapsed. We don't want to bring the rest of it down."_

 _"He's breathing! Where the hell is that ambulance?"_

 _"How the hell are we supposed to get him out of here?"_

 _"Oh shit…"_ The sound of something collapsing. _"Wait, we've got him."_

Stoick took off towards the building, unable to keep himself on the sideline any longer.

"Please Hiccup," Astrid breathed his name, squeezing her eyes closed in a silent prayer.

A siren wailed in the distance, getting louder and louder.

 _"About time, who's got the oxygen? No telling how much smoke this kid's breathed in. Watch his leg. Watch his leg!"_

There was more shuffling around over by the burnt out building. Astrid's eyes were beginning to sting. Most likely from the lingering smoke, she decided. She wasn't crying for Hiccup. He was going to be fine. He had to be fine!

Two paramedics came running past Astrid carrying a backboard between them. They dropped it to the ground and one of them slung the pack he was carrying down.

The area was a flurry of activity.

Astrid could see Stoick hovering over the cluster of bodies but could not make out Hiccup no matter how she strained.

There was a pause in the movement.

 _"That's as stable as we're going to get him. We need to get him to the hospital. Count of three-"_

Astrid watched as several emergency workers rose as one, the backboard between them. She caught sight of Hiccup lying completely still as they rushed out towards the carpark. Stoick followed closely as Hiccup was loaded into the ambulance.

"That's my son!" Stoick's booming voice echoed back up the path. "I'm coming with you."

There was a slam as doors closed and the siren started back up again, fading as the ambulance raced back towards town.

Astrid stood in the same spot, paralysed.

The firemen had finished up and were walking back out towards their truck.

 _"…did you see the shelving though? It looked like someone had barricaded the doors."_

 _"And what? Trapped the kid inside? Doubtful."_

Astrid found the strength to turn around and look at the clinic again.

 _"I guess that's up to the police now."_

It _was_ odd the way several of the benches had been stacked up against the outside of the building.

 _"Jesus, did you see the state of him? That leg…"_

"Astrid?"

She spun back around to see Fishlegs coming up the path.

"Are you okay? This place is a mess. But the main building looks okay… apart from the windows. We can come back from this."

Astrid ignored the rambling. She walked over to the largest of the pools. Toothless and Sneaky were okay. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was the first good news she'd had all morning. She checked on the other animals, running on autopilot, refusing to think about Hiccup's lifeless body as he was rushed away.

"Astrid?" Fishlegs was trying to get her attention.

Astrid ignored him and checked the fridges, not sure if the food inside would be okay. If it really was deliberate- she swallowed a sob- the mess seemed to indicate that the place had been trashed before the fire was lit, had the food been messed with? They'd just received a delivery the day before. It was still in the storage area under the main aquarium, so they'd be okay there.

"Astrid?"

Another scan of the area showed the police were also finishing up.

More people were turning up. Snotlout and the twins were staring at the damage in horror.

The barking of a seal caught her attention. Stormfly was waddling across the cement. She had a number of minor scratches scattered across her sleek body.

"Stormfly!" Momentarily forgetting Stormfly was a wild animal, Astrid dropped to her knees and threw her arms around the seal. "Who did this?"

It was too much and tears fell freely as Astrid sobbed against the unusually docile seal.

There was no way this was a freak accident. Someone had done this. Someone had vandalised the pool area and hurt the seal. Someone had set the fire.

But how was Hiccup involved? Had he caught that person in the act? Had they somehow trapped Hiccup in the office before it was set on fire? Why?

Astrid rocked back onto her heals. Her knees were grazed, but it was nothing. She let go of Stormfly and wiped her face. There was soot on her fingers. She didn't remember touching anything that had been burnt.

She pushed up to her feet. She'd checked on all the animals first. Astrid was sure that's what Hiccup would have wanted, but now…

"I have to go see him."

Fishlegs was trying to directing the clean-up. He was surprised that Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were actually following his directions. The shock of the situation was making them more compliant that normal.

"Astrid." Finally, Fishlegs had her attention. His tone was sympathetic. "I don't know if that's possible. H-he's probably not there anymore."

"Wait, what?" For the second time that morning Astrid could hear her blood roaring in her ears. Why wouldn't Hiccup be at the hospital? That's where they were taking him. Where else would they take him?

"Astrid, calm down. Our hospital is so small. I overheard it in the carpark, they can't handle something like this. They'll have airlifted him to the city."

Astrid forced herself to take a breath.

"It's not that bad is it?" Her thoughts flashed back to the image of Hiccup lying still as he was carried away. The events of the morning were beginning to blur in her memory. He'd been unconscious, but Astrid couldn't remember if there had been anything else.

 _"Jesus, did you see the state of him? That leg…"_

The words of the fireman rang in her mind.

Just how bad was it?

* * *

Dun dun dunnnnnn.

Lol, so I realise there are some inaccuracies… I doubt they would have been let back on the scene so quickly… and I don't know much about medicine… but artistic liberties and all that. I'll try to do my best, particularly in the coming chapters… and I'm sorry for leaving you hanging again…

Also, I have the emergency services in italics to sort of separate it… they're talking among themselves and its being overheard. It was getting a bit confusing but I hope this makes it a bit easier.


	12. Chapter 12

I've been sitting on this for a while because… well… I'm not a doctor…I have no idea what I'm doing and this. was. hard. I apologise for what I'm sure are many, many medical inaccuracies.

Again, thank you everyone who has reviewed or followed this story. It is still going, I'm just lazy and not feeling very confident about my writing at the moment, so thanks for sticking with this.

* * *

"Twenty-two year old male, unresponsive but breathing." The paramedics kept pace with the gurney being pushed through the stark white hallway. "Open fracture to left tibia and third degree burns to the shin and foot."

The gurney was brought to a stop next to one of the emergency room's beds. Hands reached out from all around.

"On the count of three-"

In one smooth movement the man was transferred across to the larger bed and the buzz of activity started again.

"He's on 100% oxygen for smoke inhalation and possible carbon monoxide poisoning." The paramedic continued. "He was trapped for an unknown amount of time beneath a burning wall."

The doctor on duty nodded as he listened to the paramedic's assessment and began directing the others around him.

"I want a CBC, ABG, x-rays of his chest and of that leg." Noting the dark bruise beginning to bloom beneath the floppy, brown fringe, the doctor took out his penlight. He raised one of the man's eyelids and flickedg the light to watch the reaction of his pupils. "Possible concussion."

There was a commotion from behind the curtains. The sound of marching feet echoed up the hallway.

"Sir, you can't go back there just yet."

"That's my son in there!"

"And right now the doctor is working on him. You'll only be in the way."

"I need to see my son!" Stoick wrenched the curtains aside. "Oh Thor." It was a broken whisper.

He watched on in horror as one of the nurses began cutting through Hiccup's singed and sooty clothing. Another was drawing blood, checking blood pressure, attaching leads. This one tiny area of the emergency room was crammed with people, all moving about. Hiccup in contrast was completely still as the doctors tried to elicit some response from him.

Stoick had never seen his son so still. Even in sleep, as a child Hiccup had been a jumble of limbs, twisting and tangling in his sheets. This… this was not Hiccup. It couldn't be.

Stoick's gaze drifted upwards. His son's body was covered in small cuts, grazes, burns. None as bad as the burn on his leg. His face was almost completely obscured by the mask blowing oxygen into his nose and mouth.

"Sir, you need to wait out here," a small hand was placed over Stoick's much larger arm and the man was guided outside to a seat. "You need to let them do their jobs."

The doctor poked his head out of the cubicle to yell to another staff member. "Where's my x-ray? And Madeleine, get on the phone to Westmead Hospital and the retrieval team." He pulled the curtain closed behind him.

"Westmead? Retrieval team?" Stoick looked in askance to the nurse who had pulled him aside.

"Let me go see what's going on," she offered. "I'll update you on his condition as soon as I know."

She ducked into the cubicle and Stoick was left to sit in the cold, uncomfortable, plastic waiting room chair. . All he could do in that moment was watch.

Watch as more machinery was wheeled into the room. As X-rays were taken and discussed, though not with him. Watch as people darted in and out of the tiny cubicle that held his only child.

"I can't lose him too Val."

And he couldn't just sit there and wait.

The large man stood, pacing his small corner of the hospital. Round and round. The little nurse who had promised to keep him updated had not returned. It had been over an hour! When was someone going to tell him what was happening to his son?

"Mr Haddock?"

Stoick paused in his pacing to look towards Hiccup's cubicle.

"You're Henry's father?"

"Yes," Stoick strode over to the shorter man. The doctor reached to shake his hand.

"I'm Dr West, one of the emergency doctors here." He was holding a clipboard in his free hand. "Can we talk?"

"Yes, I need to know," Stoick released the doctors hand. "How is he? Can I see him?"

Dr West nodded. "We'll get you in to see him in a moment," he promised. "First let me update you on the situation."

The doctor was not a small man, but still he was dwarfed by Stoick's towering build. He directed Stoick back to the chairs and gestured for the older man to take a seat.

"Right now we're getting him ready to transfer to Westmead Hospital," he explained. "We're only a small regional hospital, we can't properly deal with his injuries here."

"And what are his injuries?" Stoick pressed the doctor for more information.

"Right now there are a number of things we're concerned about." Dr West lay his chart across his knees. "The most concerning are the third degree burns Henry has to his left shin, coupled with an open fracture – the bone has broken through the skin – the risk of infection is incredibly high. We've already started him on antibiotics, but he'll need surgery as soon as he reaches the city."

Stoick shifted in his seat. "Okay, so he's got a broken leg, why hasn't he woken up?"

"I'm afraid it's more serious than a broken leg. A broken leg we can fix here, it's the burn. We can't do a thorough assessment here, but the tissue damage is severe. This means issues with circulation – blood isn't getting to his foot, issues with sepsis if it's not properly cleaned. Henry is going to need skin grafts at the very least." The doctor took a breath. "As to his level of consciousness… it could be a combination of things. Smoke inhalation, concussion, shock all play a part."

"Can I see him now?" Stoick was already rising from his seat, anxious to see his boy.

"Of course," Dr West rose as well, leading the way to the closed curtains. He pulled them aside slowly, revealing Hiccup lying motionless on the bed. His clothes had been thrown away and a blanket had been placed over him, covering the unconscious boy to his chest.

There were numerous wires attached to his chest. On his left arm there was a blood pressure cuff and a little grey clip on his finger. The wires led up to a machine that displayed his heartrate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation.

Beside the machine was a tall silver pole with several bags hanging from it. Tubes connected to the IV bags and twisted down towards the bed where they disappeared underneath the skin of Hiccup's right hand.

"I don't understand, he was breathing when he came in." Stoick rushed to Hiccup's side. He took his son's hand gingerly, wary of the cannulas taped to the skin, and took in the sight before him. There was a large bruise on Hiccup's temple – the source of the concussion? It was hard to notice anything around the tube jutting from his mouth.

"It's a precautionary measure." Dr West was studying the numbers displayed on the monitor. He pressed a few buttons and turned back to the bed. "The results of his blood tests indicate he's inhaled quite a bit of smoke. Treatment needs to be aggressive, in case his condition deteriorates, it could be hard to intubate later. Until he wakes, it's important we maintain his airway."

Stoick reached a hand to smooth back Hiccup's hair. It felt greasy and gritty with dust from the collapsed wall he'd been pulled from.

"Okay, and what's the next step?"

"The retrieval team should be here any minute." Dr West scribbled some notes onto his clipboard and lay it on the bed. "Henry is stable enough to be moved, it's about a forty-five minute flight to the city. Barring any complications, he should be in surgery in an hour."

()

The next twelve-hours hours were rough.

Within minutes of landing on the helipad at Westmead Hospital Hiccup was in surgery. His leg was set and the burns to his leg was cleaned, dead skin and muscle was removed.

Afterwards, he had been moved to the Burns Unit to be monitored until he woke up.

It hadn't happened yet. He'd shifted slightly at one point, letting out a breathy groan, but hadn't surfaced completely.

Stoick's back was aching from sitting in the too small, too hard chair. His body just wasn't designed to contort like that. He was a big man.

Despite his discomfort, he hadn't left Hiccup's side since he had been wheeled from recovery and settled into his current room. There had been more testing, more X-rays and Stoick made sure he was present for it all. He wasn't going anywhere.

It was late now.

The events of the morning seemed so long ago.

There was a soft knock on the door. Lucy, one of the senior nurses looking after Hiccup walked into the room.

"Evening Mr Haddock," She walked around to the far side of the bed.

"I told you earlier lass, you can call me Stoick." He sat up straighter in his chair and stretching out his weary muscles.

Lucy smiled and pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Well, Stoick," she checked a couple of things and then injected something into Hiccup's IV. "I'm about to head home and the night shift will be taking over." Lucy deposited the syringe in the sharps container and reached for the thermometer on the bench by the bed. "You should think about getting some rest." The thermometer beeped and she checked the number, recording it with a little frown.

"I'll get some rest when I know my boy is going to be okay." Stoick lay his hand where Hiccup's leg was resting under the blankets.

Lucy packed up her things and removed her gloves.

"I figured you'd say that," she told him. She paused by the door. "If you need anything, just let one of the nurses at the desk know." She left the room.

Stoick settled back in his chair, trying to find something that resembled a comfortable position. The steady beeping of the heartrate monitor was reassuring, as was the sight of Hiccup breathing on his own. The ventilator had been replaced once more by a simple oxygen mask.

()

Stoick woke with a start. He didn't remember falling asleep.

There was someone shuffling around the room. Working by the small light above the bed. They flinched when Stoick shifted in his seat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Stoick realised it was another nurse.

"Night time rounds," she explained her presence as she checked Hiccup over. She reached for the thermometer. "Lucy noticed his temperature was up a little." She placed the tip in Hiccup's ear. "It's not uncommon given everything he's been through," she continued her explanation. "And burns are susceptible to infection, I'm sure the doctor would have explained that." The thermometer beeped.

"Ah, it is a little higher than we would like," she made a note of it in the chart. "I need to take a look at his leg. He's due to have the bandages changed soon, we'll just do it a little early, make sure everything looks okay."

The young nurse gathered up her supplies to rebandage the burn.

"You probably won't want to watch this." She lifted the blanket to uncover Hiccup's legs. "It's not a pretty sight."

"I can handle it," Stoick told her. "I'm not going anywhere."

The nurse pulled on her gloves and removed the bandages covering the wound. Stoick almost gagged at the sight. He looked away as the nurse redressed the burn.

Hiccup stirred. The process of removing the bandages looked painful. Stoick took his son's hand and found himself hoping the boy would stay asleep through it.

"All done," the nurse announced, pulling the blankets back over Hiccup's feet.

"And it all looks… okay?" The mess of Hiccup's leg did not look 'okay' to him, but he was a fisherman, not a medical professional.

"There are a few things I'd like to check over with the doctor. I'll be back in a minute." She disposed of the rubbish and bustled out of the room. She returned ten minutes later, with a doctor in tow.

"Mr Haddock, can you give us a minute here?" The doctor was not one Stoick had met yet, and he had met many in the last few hours. She was already pulling on her gloves as she addressed Hiccup's father.

"I'd rather stay." Stoick stood up from the chair to stand by the bed.

"It'll only be a few minutes; you can wait outside. Give him a little privacy for this one."

Stoick reluctantly agreed. As much as he hated to admit it, his kid was an adult and would probably prefer if there were some things his dad didn't see.

"I'll be right outside. Come and get me the minute you're done."

"We will," the nurse promised as she lifted Hiccup's blankets once more.

True to their words, a few minutes later the door to Hiccup's room opened. Stoick was up and waiting just outside as the doctor emerged with the nurse.

"We might need to switch up his antibiotics. With the redness around the burn, the swollen lymph nodes, the fever, his leg is not looking good."

They looked up and saw Stoick waiting expectantly.

"Let's take a walk," the doctor motioned for Stoick to follow her and the nurse peeled off to visit her other patients.

"What's wrong?"

Stoick had to slow his pace to match the woman's.

"His leg has become infected," the doctor explained as they walked down the hall. "The damage is already significant and he has poor blood flow to his foot. If he doesn't respond to the antibiotics more tissue could die. He's going to need more surgery to save his leg."

"Save his leg?" Stoick stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"It's a lot to process right now," the doctor acknowledged. "We'll check on him through the night and reassess in the morning."

With all this to think about Stoick returned to Hiccup's room. The nurse from earlier bustled back into the room making the doctor's requested changes and bustled out again.

Alone with his son, he resumed his position by the bed.

By morning Hiccup's fever was spiking. He was sweaty and shaking and moaning in his sleep. His doctor had been by and he'd been scheduled for more surgery.

Stoick knew he was in for a long wait when his son was wheeled away again.

Hours passed with no news. He was forced to sit and wait and wonder if Hiccup was going to be alright. At some point Lucy had appeared again and pressed a sandwich into Stoick's hands. She'd waited, coaxing him, until he took a bite. She'd reappeared later with a cup of tea.

Each time she appeared, just as Stoick thought he would lose his patience, and sat with him until she had to dart back off to work.

Finally, she was able to bring him some news.

"He's out of surgery," the matronly woman resumed her seat beside the worried father. "He'll be in recovery for a bit before we get him settled back in his room." She saw Stoick open his mouth and answered the question before it was asked. "I don't know yet how it went. Henry's doctor should be out here soon."

The was the swish of sneakers against linoleum.

"And speak of the devil," Lucy stood as the doctor entered. "I can stay if you want."

Stoick shook his head. "No, I'm sure you've got a lot of work to do. Thank you." He stood and turned to man dressed in scrubs and a lab coat. "Dr Greyson, tell me. How is Henry?"

"It was as we thought." Dr Greyson gave a sympathetic sigh. "There was too much damage. Circulation was compromised. With the added complication of infection there wasn't much we could do. I'm sorry. We couldn't save his foot."


	13. Chapter 13

Here it is, chapter thirteen! Yay! I hope you enjoy! Once again, thank you to everyone who has commented, favourited and followed this story. It makes me so happy!

* * *

The clean-up of the aquarium was going to take a while. Once the police had given them permission to enter, Fishlegs had directed everyone to begin.

A crowd had gathered during the morning as the drama had unfolded. Berk was a small town and news travelled fast.

Astrid was surprised to see that so many stayed once it was all over and the emergency vehicles were gone. The town came together to help out the business that had once been one of the main attractions bringing tourists to Berk. Tourists who then stayed at Mrs Ack's caravan park and bought their meat from Sven's butchery.

As the townsfolk got to work, it appeared the aquarium wasn't as bad off as it had initially looked. From what Astrid could see, only a few of the windows had been broken and the fire had been contained to the clinic.

Most of the rubble that littered the pavement looked to be from the shelving that had been tossed to the ground.

Apparently, the police had found nothing. No finger prints, no hairs, nothing to indicate that anyone had been on the property other than Hiccup that night.

Astrid had given a statement.

Yes, Hiccup had been unhappy that the aquarium was closing. No, there was no way Hiccup would set the fire himself. Hiccup would never risk injuring any of the animals they cared for.

She was so angry that the police could even suggest that Hiccup had caused the damage.

"It wasn't him!" She had yelled it at the officer taking her statement. "Hiccup loved this place. He poured his heart into this aquarium and the animals we care for. And you think he would do such a thing!"

The officer had sighed.

"People will do crazy things to protect the ones they love."

Astrid had narrowed her eyes. "Not Hiccup."

She had told them about Drago and the police had promised to follow up on that. Astrid didn't believe that for one second. The whole town knew that Drago Bludvist was untouchable without hard evidence. Nothing had been left at the scene and until the police could get a statement from Hiccup the whole investigation was stalled.

Astrid picked through the rubble of the clinic, salvaging what she could of the medical supplies. The office at the opposite end of the building was almost completely gutted and the whole building had been deemed structurally unsafe. It would need to be pulled down. Astrid tried not to look as she walked past. Hiccup had been in there. She desperately hoped he was okay.

Astrid couldn't help but think of it as she checked over Stormfly's superficial scratches.

What had the fireman said?

 _"Did you see the state of him?"_

Astrid had heard nothing since talking to Fishlegs. What if something happened and Hiccup didn't make it? How would she know? She had no way of getting into contact with his father. Stoick probably wouldn't even want to talk to her. She could call the hospital, but she wasn't family so that was probably a dead end too.

It was the not knowing that was the worst part.

"Astrid, take a break." Fishlegs wandered over with his clipboard in hand. It was late in the afternoon and most of the volunteers had left for home. The few that remained were quiet. Even the twins had refrained from their normal jokes and pranks. Snotlout had been strangely absent.

"We haven't finished cleaning yet. And we need to organise to have the windows repaired."

"It's going to take a few days to get everything together."

"And what about the fundraiser? Will the board still let us go ahead with it?"

"Astrid-"

"We've still got time. We hadn't even set a date yet."

"Astrid," Fishlegs gave a resigned sigh. "I-I'll talk to the board. I can't make any promises. Go home."

"I can't. I need to stay busy."

"I'll make sure she gets home." Ruffnut had materialised beside her. Astrid hadn't even noticed her arrive. She'd assumed the twins had left already.

The mood was sombre as Astrid was ferried to her car. She appreciated that Ruffnut did not try to talk to her on the drive home. They sat in silence as they wound through the streets of Berk.

Astrid pulled into the driveway of their share house and cut the engine. She exited the car and made her way to the house. The door unlocked with a soft _click._ Astrid dumped her keys and phone on the table by the door.

"Where are you going?" Ruffnut let the door swing shut behind her.

Astrid didn't look back. "To my room." She kicked off her shoes.

"You can't just hide from this."

Astrid stopped. "I'm not hiding."

"Uh, yes, you are." Ruffnut marched around in front of the other woman to stop her from escaping. "I'm not stupid. I've seen the puppy-dog eyes you and the dolphin boy have been giving each other." She poked Astrid in the shoulder. "You two were totally a thing."

Astrid shook her head. "It's not- It wasn't serious…" She thought back to the last kiss they had shared. Things had definitely been less awkward between them since then, still, "I don't… I don't really know what it was."

"But you like him." It wasn't posed as a question. Ruffnut moved to lean against the couch. "Don't even try to tell me it's not like that," she said when Astrid opened her mouth to speak.

Astrid threw her hands up. "Fine! I like him. A lot. And it's killing me not knowing what's going on. I spent all day at work trying to stay busy. Trying not to think about it and now… I can't _stop_ thinking about it. I need to know what's happening."

Ruffnut looked thoughtful. "You could ask Snotlout."

Astrid paused, confused for a moment. Oh, Hiccup and Snotlout were cousins! Snotlout had been absent from the aquarium all day, not that he had a stellar attendance record, but chances were he'd heard about the accident. Maybe he had some news. She looked back towards her phone, sitting on the table.

"I don't have his number."

"I do." Ruffnut was flicking through her contact list.

"Why do you have Scott Jorgenson's phone number?"

"Ah, another story for another time. Just call him." Ruffnut handed Astrid her phone.

She hesitated. The contact card was open, but Astrid struggled to bring herself to press the button to connect the call.

"Really Astrid? Just do it."

Astrid swiped across, opening the messenger instead.

She caught sight of the last exchange of messages between Ruffnut and Snotlout and shuddered before moving on. She tapped on the keyboard, typing out a quick message, _Scott, it's Astrid. Have you heard anything about Hiccup?_ Her finger hovered over the 'send' button.

"This is painful to watch, give it here." Ruffnut snatched the mobile and hit send. She handed the phone back to Astrid. "You're welcome."

Astrid clutched the phone in her hands. Minutes ticked by with no response.

"This was a stupid idea," Astrid whined. "He's never going to respond."

She paced behind the couch, lapping around the loungeroom. Each second felt like a lifetime as she waited. Astrid shoved the phone back at Ruffnut and stormed into the kitchen. Snotlout was never going to text them back. She needed to find something to do.

She set about pulling bits and pieces from the fridge while Ruffnut watched from the lounge. Astrid pulled out the chopping block and set it aside. She stared at the vegetables, her body thrumming with anxiety. She wasn't hungry.

There was a chirp from the living room.

Astrid all but ran from the kitchen.

Ruffnut was holding the phone, her face downcast as she read the text. She silently handed the phone to Astrid so that she could read the message.

 _Not gud. They flu him to city. We're going up tmrw._

The phone screen blurred. Fishlegs had been right. Berk's small hospital hadn't been able to treat Hiccup and he'd been sent to the city. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. A bigger hospital meant better treatment.

Astrid sat on the couch, tapping the keypad on the phone.

 _Please keep me updated! As soon as you know anything!_

Astrid put the phone down. All she could do now was wait and hope that Snotlout would keep her posted on Hiccup's condition.

The phone chirped again almost instantly.

 _U should come._

Astrid stared at the screen. Should she? She wanted to. No, it was more than that. She needed to. She needed to see Hiccup with her own eyes.

 _I don't want to get in anyone's way._ She tapped out the words slowly with shaking hands, afraid that Snotlout would take his offer back.

"Don't be stupid," Ruffnut was reading the messages over Astrid's shoulder. "You should go."

"It would be weird," Astrid argued. "With his family there. I'm not family. They don't even know me."

"I'm sure Hiccup would want to see you."

Astrid hated that Ruffnut was being the reasonable one in this argument.

"Okay," she said at last. "I'll go."

()

It was a three-hour, white knuckled drive to the city.

For the first half hour, the car had been silent but for the rumbling of the engine. As she drove Astrid had turned the radio on. The cheery discussion of the DJ's and pop music clashed jarringly with her melancholy mood, but it drowned out the intrusive thoughts that clamoured for attention in her head.

What if she got to the hospital and was immediately turned away?

What if Hiccup was injured even worse than she thought? What if she got to the hospital and Hiccup was… gone.

It would not do to dwell on 'what ifs'.

She turned the radio up louder and concentrated on the drivel gushing from the radio presenters. Really, who cared what happened on last night's episode of some TV show? There were bigger problems in the world.

Snotlout's number was now saved on her phone. Astrid was going to send him a message once she reached the hospital.

She'd left the house at eight after a night of tossing and turning and was making good time. Astrid reached the city by eleven am and was looking for somewhere to park at the hospital at midday. She sat in the car long after she had cut the engine, toying with the phone in her hands.

This was it. Hopefully soon she would have a better idea of how Hiccup was doing. Hopefully she would get to see him, maybe even talk to him.

She had brought her laptop. She was sure, that if he was up to it, he would want to view the webcam of the aquarium and see that Toothless was alright. But even that would be bittersweet. Toothless coming out of the fire unscathed would not change the fact that he was still in serious danger from the damage to his tail.

That was the last conversation they had shared.

Astrid took a steadying breath and unclipped her seatbelt. Sitting in her car all day was going to get her nowhere. She pushed open her door and snatched her bag as she exited the vehicle.

The hospital was huge. It was comprised of a number of buildings spread out across the campus. The Centenary Hospital for Woman and Children was obviously out. That was the building Astrid had parked closest to. She took the path that wound around the four-storey structure leading towards the largest building.

There was a sign pointing her towards the Emergency Department. Astrid figured she could start there. Further down another signed was directing to the Main Reception. That seemed promising. Astrid followed the signs to the entrance of the hospital.

Inside the directions were just as confusing. Astrid had sent Snotlout a message, but she hadn't received a response yet. She wasn't even sure if he had reached the hospital. In any case, she could find somewhere to wait for them to arrive.

She stood in front of a large board listing all the different hospital departments.

Which one would Hiccup be in?

The General Medical unit was on the fourth floor. Astrid skimmed over the other departments. Just one floor up was the Burns and Critical Care units. Astrid couldn't remember seeing any burns on Hiccup as he was carried away, but he'd been covered in soot and the paramedics had laid a blanket over him.

Her phone buzzed.

 _Were here._

Astrid turned, hearing the automatic doors open behind her. A man and a woman were storming into the foyer, Snotlout trailing behind.

She wandered over nervously.

"Uh, hey."

Snotlout looked up.

"Hey."

They stood there awkwardly.

Astrid had known Snotlout for a few years now. She had always been annoyed at the way he was constantly bragging about something, or showing off in front of her and Ruffnut and any other girl who walked by. In the last two months they had become closer, especially while helping Hiccup work on his plans to save the aquarium.

The large man, Hiccup's uncle, towered over them. He rivalled Stoick for height, but other than that, Astrid could see no family resemblance. "Who is she?"

"Uh, this is Astrid. Hiccup's uh, girlfriend."

Astrid opened her mouth to correct Snotlout, then thought better of it. If saying she was Hiccup's girlfriend got her in to see him, she was going to run with it. They could clear things up later.

The woman who entered came over to them from the front desk. Now Astrid could see the similarities between her and Stoick. She had thick red hair and was just as tall as her husband.

"They're upstairs." Her smile was warm and kind, the complete opposite of Snotlout's father who looked stern and tense.

Astrid stood there apprehensively. They hadn't asked her to leave yet, but they also hadn't told her it was okay to follow them.

Noticing her uncertainty, Hiccup's Aunt took Astrid's hand.

"Come along dear," she said, "I'm sure Henry is anxious to see you."

Astrid felt guilty for lying to them, but she allowed herself to be lead to the lift.

()

Astrid had not spent much time in hospitals before. She had vague memories of visiting her mother in hospital after her younger sister was born. The maternity ward had been vibrant and colourful and full of new life.

This ward was just as busy. Nurses were moving about, ducking in and out of the rooms as they tended to their patients, but the atmosphere here was very different.

Astrid hovered in the waiting area as Snotlout's mother went to speak to one of the nurses at the desk. "Maybe I should wait here," she said, hugging her arms about herself. She felt so out of place. "Just… tell me how he is."

She sat in one of the hard plastic chairs, despite the protests of Snotlout's mother.

"She's right," it was Snotlout's father who spoke. "She's not family. We should at least clear it with Stoick first."

The words hurt, but they were the truth.

Astrid watched the Jorgenson's retreat down the hall towards Hiccup's room and settled herself in to wait.

Stoick found Astrid sitting out in the waiting room. It was late in the afternoon. Snotlout and his parents had left hours ago after visiting Hiccup. Astrid had got a tense "He'll be fine," from Snotlout's father, and a sympathetic smile from his mother. Snotlout had just nodded, his eyes ringed with red. It was not a look she'd ever seen on him before.

Still she waited, legs crossed under her on an uncomfortable chair, unable to bring herself to leave just yet.

Now she watched as Stoick's hulking figure made its way down the hall towards her. He sat beside the girl and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"The nurses told me you were still here," he shot a sidelong glance towards Astrid.

"I'm sorry," Astrid uncrossed her legs. "I know you probably don't want me here."

Stoick made a noise that Astrid couldn't decipher.

"I'm sorry that I told them I was his girlfriend, though technically that was Snotlo-Scott."

This time Stoick grinned. "Snotlout, was Hiccup's revenge on Scott for calling him Hiccup. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He turned in his seat and bent. "I've always called his father Spitelout," he said in a conspiratorial whisper. "He talks about you."

Astrid's brows knit together.

"Hiccup," Stoick clarified. "Every day he'd come home from work and it would be Astrid did this, Astrid did that. He likes you a lot."

"I like him too." Astrid fiddled with her braid. "I can go if you want." She looked up at Stoick. "I just- I needed to know that he's going to be okay."

Stoick said nothing for a moment.

"He'll recover," he said. "I don't know if he'll be okay. He-" Stoick choked on his words. "They took him in for surgery this morning. His leg was badly injured you see." He took a deep breath. "They had to amputate."

Astrid felt all the colour drain from her face. The background chattering of the nurses faded away into dim buzzing. She barely heard Stoick speak.

"He's in an' out. I haven't told him yet. I don't know how."

Astrid pressed her hands to her face, trying to process this information.

"Can I see him?"


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry again. I actually had this mostly written for a while, but then I got distracted by another idea. Anyway, here it is.

* * *

Stoick led the way to Hiccup's room.

He'd left Astrid alone in the waiting area to see if his son was awake. He'd returned soon after checking that Hiccup wanted the company and she'd had to quickly scrub away the tears that had managed to escape before she got herself under control.

Stoick paused by the door.

"I'm going to get something to eat," he told the girl. "You'll stay here 'til I return?"

Astrid nodded and stepped over the threshold.

The room was bathed in orange light from the setting sun outside the window, but the harsh white of the lamp above the bed washed out all of Hiccup's features.

His eyes were closed. There was a bruise above his left eye and scrapes down the side of his face. The tubing of his nasal cannula snaked over Hiccup's cheeks and tucked behind his ears. He looked so pale and small, in his light blue hospital gown. The sheets were tucked in around his waist with his hands resting on top.

The poles beside the bed held a mass of IV bags, the tubing was taped to Hiccup's arms, delivering the different medications he needed.

Astrid let her eyes drift further down towards Hiccups feet. Foot. It was obvious to look at, even with the blanket's covering his legs. The left one just stopped mid-shin.

Her eyes stung and her vision blurred. Astrid took a deep, steadying breath.

Hiccup stirred, moaning softly as he surfaced from sleep.

Astrid took a seat on the chair beside the bed. She took his hand gingerly, afraid of jarring the tubes running into the back of his hand.

Bleary eyes opened.

"Hey," Astrid whispered, she gave Hiccup's fingers a gentle squeeze. His gaze fell on her and his eyes slowly focused. Recognition lit his face.

"'strid?" His brows knit together in confusion. "Where?"

"You're in hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Hiccup shook his head, groaning at the movement. His left hand rose slowly to tug at the plastic under his nose. Astrid took his hand and placed it back down on the bed.

"You should leave that," she told him.

He blinked owlishly and his eyes drifted shut.

Astrid spun in her chair at the soft tap of footsteps behind her.

"Don't worry," it was a nurse. "Just a routine check-up." She bustled around to the other side of the bed. Recognising Astrid, she said, "You were the one sitting out in the waiting room all afternoon."

Astrid nodded, hoping she wasn't about to get kicked out.

"Uh, Stoick asked me to watch him while he got something to eat." She caught a glimpse of the nurse's name tag. It read Lucy.

"I'm glad he finally left the room," Lucy confided in the young woman. "He needs to take care of himself for Henry's sake." She pressed a button on one of the machines beside the bed, then checked the IV bags. Hiccup was stirring again but didn't quite surface.

"He'll be in and out for a bit yet." Lucy straightened the sheets. "Over the next few hours he'll become more alert, but don't be concerned if he doesn't remember this."

Astrid watched as the nurse went through her routine. She had to ask. "His leg-"

"How much did Mr Haddock tell you?"

"Not much, just that… they had to amputate." Astrid's gaze drifted down again.

A shadow fell across the bed. Stoick had returned.

Lucy looked to him for permission. He gave it.

"Henry's leg was badly injured. The tibia was badly broken and he had third degree burns to his leg and foot," she explained. "Infection set in and he had no blood circulation to the foot. He had surgery this morning to see if any of the damage could be repaired, but- the surgeons had to amputate." Lucy had finished her examination.

"The doctors say he'll be fitted for a prosthetic once he's up and about," Stoick came over and sat carefully on the edge of the bed. He rested his hand on his son's right foot.

"It won't be easy," Lucy pulled a pen from her pocket, jotting down some notes on Hiccup's chart.

"Hiccup has never done anything the easy way." Stoick chuckled. It felt out of place in the room, but Astrid figured if Stoick could laugh, it must mean that Hiccup would be alright.

()

"Good morning M'lady."

A scratchy voice drew Astrid's attention back to the bed. She smiled. "It's almost eight pm." She'd been sitting in the small room with Stoick for almost three hours.

They had sat together in silence at first, and then Stoick had started telling her stories of Hiccup's childhood. Astrid found it hard to connect the father in front of her with the father Hiccup had complained about at work.

In front of her was a father who loved his son, who wanted the best for him, but who was perhaps a little misguided in his attempts to show it.

It made Astrid think of her own parents and the little annoying things they did. She knew they only meant the best for her and in that moment she missed them. When had she called them last? Astrid couldn't remember.

While they were talking, Hiccup had woken a few times. His bleary eyes had landed on Astrid a couple of times and he'd frowned in confusion before sleep pulled him back under.

"What-" He shifted his head, catching sight of the infusion pump and the monitor by the bed. He lifted his hand, and stared at it groggily, struggling to put the pieces together. "H-hospital?"

Both Astrid and Stoick were leaning forward on their chairs.

"You gave me quite the scare son." Stoick reached out to grab Hiccup's hand, preventing the younger Haddock from scratching at the tape holding the IV in place.

The boy scrunched his face up, trying to remember what happened.

"I don't-" His gaze shifted to Astrid. "…remember." He scratched at the thing irritating his nose. More plastic. "What happened?"

"I-uh," Astrid glanced at Stoick. "There was a fire. At the aquarium." She waited

"Toothless? Is he okay?" Hiccup's eyes were wide as he looked from his father to Astrid.

"Toothless is okay," Astrid tried to reassure him. "Everyone is okay."

"You need to take it easy," Stoick soothed. "The nurses said it might take a while for you to remember everything."

Hiccup tried to push himself up, grimacing at the movement. He groaned.

"What's wrong?" Stoick was already reaching for the nurse call button. "Are you in pain son?"

Hiccup nodded, his teeth clenched against the agony. "My leg," he managed to gasp out. "Oh Gods, it hurts so bad." He managed to get into a sitting position, reaching forward to clutch at his knee.

"Hiccup, wait."

Clawed fingers edged down towards the source of the pain. Hiccup could feel the swell of bandages beneath the blankets. His foot was on fire! He could feel it burning.

Stoick grabbed his hands to stop their journey down the limb. Astrid watched on in shock.

"Let go of me," Hiccup yelled at his father. "Gods, it hurts. It _hurts_!" Hands scrabbled against the blankets, ripping them off. He stared at his legs, shoulders shaking.

"No." he fingered the bandages on his leg. "I don't- I can feel it."

Lucy ran in, having heard the yelling. She made her way over to the bed, pressing another button on the wall. "Henry, you need to calm down." She rubbed soothing circles on his back. "We'll get you something for the pain."

Another nurse came in.

Astrid stepped back to allow them access to the bed. She edged up against the wall.

"I don't understand." Hiccup was hyperventilating. "I can feel it." He groaned. "It's burning!"

Something was injected into his IV port and slowly he settled down onto the bed, the sedative was designed to relax rather than put Hiccup to sleep. Lucy informed Stoick that the doctor was on the way. He caught sight of Astrid standing up the back of the room.

"Astrid, can you give us a moment?"

"I, uh, sure." Astrid backed out of the room.

()

Astrid wandered away from the room following the signs to the cafeteria. What was she doing here? Hiccup was in the most vulnerable position a person could be in. Injured, confused, trying to process what was going on and here Astrid was, thinking she belonged because she had kissed him a couple of times.

He was going to be okay. Maybe it would be best for her to go back to Berk or at least go find a hotel for the night. Astrid didn't feel up to the long drive home.

She turned abruptly as she reached the café, heading instead for the exit. She'd find somewhere to spend the night and head back to Berk in the morning.

Reaching her car, she climbed inside and retrieved her phone from her bag to find a hostel. With just a few clicks she had somewhere to stay for the night.

Astrid started her car and drove away.

()

When Astrid woke, there was a text message on her phone.

 _Hey, its Hiccup. Can we talk?_

Astrid didn't recognise the number. She figured Hiccup had borrowed his Dad's phone. Quickly she showered and changed, checked out of the hostel and headed back to the hospital.

She walked through the long corridor slowly, second guessing her decision to visit. She could have just called Hiccup after reading the text. Astrid found the room easily, pausing at the threshold to peek inside.

The head of the bed was raised. Hiccup was reclining against it with his eyes closed in a half doze. They sprung open when he heard the tentative knock on the door.

He smiled when he realised it was Astrid. Waving a lethargic arm inviting her in. He was alone in the room.

"Hey." Astrid sat by the bed.

"Hey." Hiccup awkwardly rearranged his blankets. "Thanks for, uh, coming."

"How are you feeling?" He looked… better. He was awake so that was a definite improvement but he was still so pale. His freckles stood out in stark relief against his skin.

Hiccup shrugged, scratching lazily at a piece of tape on his hand. "Tired, but… okay, I guess."

"How's your… leg?"

Hiccup glanced down towards his legs. He took a steadying breath then pulled the sheets aside. His skinny legs stuck out from under the hospital gown. Astrid made a mental note to ask Stoick about pyjamas.

"I-I keep thinking that next time I look…" he trailed off. "But, it's not there. It's gone."

"I'm sorry Hiccup." Astrid covered Hiccup's hand with her own.

"Why?" Hiccup turned his hand over so that he could hold Astrid's lightly. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. "It's not your fault." His expression turned sour. "I was the one who had to go and anger one of the most dangerous men in Berk. If I'd just kept my mouth shut."

"You think Drago did it?" Astrid was frowning too.

"I doubt Drago would dirty his hands over something like this," Hiccup scowled. "But I think I recognised one of his men."

"You remember what happened?"

"It's coming back to me." Hiccup pulled the sheets back over his legs.

 _There was no traffic at this time of night. The wind felt good on his bare arms. Hiccup squinted into the distance. There was something coming towards him. A car. Black with no headlights speeding in the opposite direction. Hiccup frowned and slowed down but the car sped past without incident. Hiccup slowed further and pulled to the side of the road. There was an odd smell to the air. A jarring mix of saltwater and smoke. But there was nothing out here. Just the aquarium._

 _Hiccup put his bike in gear, pulling back onto the road. He raced towards the aquarium._

 _The side gate was flung open, Hiccup didn't even get off his bike, riding it straight up the path. The clinic was alight. Hiccup dropped his motorbike and ran. There were cries from the animals in their pens as they panicked. Smoke was beginning to clog the air._

 _The place was a mess. Windows smashed. Shelves overturned. Who had done this? Hiccup didn't have time to wonder._

 _He cursed, remembering he still hadn't replaced his mobile phone. Pausing, he turned towards the smaller building. There was a phone in the office._

 _Hiccup ran, pulling the neck of his shirt up over his nose and mouth against the choking smell of smoke that was filling the building. He grabbed the received on the desk._

 _"Come on, come on, come on." There was a dial tone. He punched the numbers in._

 _"911, what's your emergency?"_

 _"Fire." Hiccup coughed. "Aquarium. Hurry."_

 _There was a loud thud from outside. Hiccup spun on his feet. The office door had swung shut. He dropped the phone, ignoring the tinny demands for more information._

 _A glance out the window showed a stack of shelves pushed up against the door. How? Was someone else still here?_

 _Hiccup shoved his shoulder against the door. It didn't budge. The shelving on the other side had wedged it completely shut._

 _He considered his options. There weren't many. Smoke was pouring into the small room under the door to the clinic._

 _Using the basic fire safety skills from primary school, Hiccup went to the clinic door and gingerly pressed the back of his hand to the handle, tearing it away when the metal burned his skin._

 _"Okay, not that way." His shirt wasn't doing much to keep the smoke at bay. Hiccup let the material settle back on his chest. Searching the room, Hiccup's gaze landed on the large windows that faced out towards the pools._

 _Moving quickly, Hiccup went to the desk. He picked up the chair that sat there and threw it against the glass. There was a resounding crash as the window exploded outwards. Hiccup lunged for the empty pane, gagging at the smell of the smoke. His lungs were burning. He had to get out._

 _A shadow appeared at the window. A figure he recognised. Hiccup frowned, blinking against the stinging of his eyes. Something swung out. Hiccup ducked too late._

 _Pain exploded from his temple. Dizzy, he stumbled back, hitting the wall and sliding to the ground. The roof was groaning as the fire spread._

 _Blind from the smoke, Hiccup crawled forward._

 _The building was shaking. An earthquake? No, Berk didn't get earthquakes. The sound of thunder. The sky was falling. Hiccup felt the snap as something large and unbearably heavy landed on his legs. He screamed out at the pain, his arms collapsing beneath him. He fell to his stomach._

 _Twisting, Hiccup tried to pull himself free. White starbursts of pain danced across his vision. He was trapped. The wall had caved in, catching his legs. It was burning, the fire licking up his legs._

 _Hiccup dragged in another lungful of smoke. Coughing and choking. His vision was dimming around the edges. He struggled to focus._

 _He was numb. The fire a distant sensation. His lungs weren't cooperating. He couldn't catch his breath._

 _His eyes drifted shut._


	15. Chapter 15

Look who managed to update this within a month? I know that's nothing to be proud about, but damn it I am. Anyway, once again, I have taken many many liberties with this chapter to make up for my complete lack of medical knowledge. Googling can only do so much and I'm probably going to be wrong:) Hopefully it's still somewhat realistic and isn't distracting (I do my best).

Once again, a BIIIIG thank you for those of you who have stuck with this and reviewed and favourited. I'm trying not to get distracted by other ideas (but we all know how that's working out.)

Enough with the rambling, here it is!

* * *

"The next thing I remember is waking up-" Hiccup paused to think about it. His sense of time had become so skewed. "-last night?" He sat back against the bed, exhausted. His body felt heavy, like it was made of lead. His leg hurt. His head hurt. Hiccup was tired of it. He just wanted to feel normal again. In the back of his mind, underneath the haze of fatigue and medication, he realised it would be a long time before he felt normal again… if he ever did.

"You woke up a few times yesterday." Astrid filled him in, doing her best to bridge the gabs between what Hiccup's hazy memories and what had actually happened the day before. "Don't worry. The nurses said you probably wouldn't remember." She watched as Hiccup picked at the thin blanket covering his legs.

"I remember some things." Hiccup found a loose thread, twisting it around his finger. "I'm sorry about the way I reacted last night. I just- it felt so real. Like it was still there," his gaze drifted down to his legs. "Phantom pains, that's what the Doctor called it."

"You don't need to apologise Hiccup," Astrid told him. Cautiously, she reached out to take Hiccup's hand, gripping it in her warm fingers. "I can't even imagine what that must have been like."

Hiccup didn't say anything. He lay back with his eyes closed. Astrid thought he might have gone to sleep. His hand was slack in her own.

"Toothless really is okay, right?" Apparently not. Hiccup had one eye open, watching Astrid's face.

"Yeah, he's okay," she confirmed. "All the animals are. Stormfly had a few superficial scratches, but she'll heal."

"I guess the fundraiser is off now." Hiccup sounded so defeated. They had worked so hard to get sponsors, to get approval, but with the damage to the aquarium, there was no way it was going to happen.

"Actually, it's still going ahead."

Both of Hiccup's eyes flew open in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," Astrid grinned. "Fishlegs talked to the board. At the very least, we can use the money to arrange new homes for the animals who cannot be released and pay for Toothless's medical bills."

Hiccup nodded. "That's good. That's really, really good."

He seemed much happier than Astrid expected. He'd been so upset with the news he'd received about Toothless. Had he forgotten? They had talked about it that night, before Hiccup had returned to the aquarium. If he didn't remember it, Astrid didn't have the heart to remind him. He'd already received so much bad news in the space of a couple of days.

She kept talking, hoping to keep him distracted.

"There wasn't all that much damage to the aquarium," Astrid told him. "I mean, the outdoor area was trashed, but the main building is okay. They were talking about boarding up the broken windows for the time being."

Astrid considered her next words carefully. Hiccup would hear about it soon enough, now that he was awake. Maybe it was best to hear it from her.

"Hiccup, the police…" she hesitated. "They were thinking that you might have set the fire."

Hiccup bolted upright on the bed, unable to hide the wince as his battered body protested the movement.

"What?" He tugged his hand out of Astrid's grip. "No! Never! The animals." His mouth opened and closed as he struggled for words. "Toothless. Astrid, you know I would never risk them."

Astrid reached forward to place her hand on his shoulder. The machine by the side of the bed beeped, detecting his rising heartrate.

"I told them that." She tried to reassure him. "I told them there was no way you would have done that." Hiccup's heart was racing. The monitor let out another chirp. "You need to know. You'll probably be questioned now that you're up. But it's good that you remember what happened."

The door to the room opened.

"Everything alright in here?" Lucy bustled into the room. She made her way over to the bed, frowning at the way Hiccup was sitting up. "You need to be resting," she told him. "This-" she guided him back down so that he was lying against the bed, not missing the way he clenched his jaw. "-is not resting." She checked the numbers on the screen.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault," Astrid admitted.

Lucy turned back to the bed. "I know you must be bursting to know what happened," she told Hiccup, "and you probably want to catch him up on everything." Astrid nodded slowly. "But right now, you need to be focusing on getting better, as cliché as that sounds." She straightened the blankets covering Hiccup. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." The words sounded fake, even to his own ears.

The nurse stopped, regarding Hiccup with a scrutinising gaze. Hiccup glanced across at Astrid, then back towards his nurse, his shoulders dropping as he sighed in defeat.

"It's still a bit painful," he admitted. "Everything kinda hurts right now."

"Hiccup, you should have said something." Astrid frowned.

"Hiccup?" Lucy smiled. "That's an interesting nickname." She fiddled with a cable hanging from the IV stand. "And she's right. You've just had some pretty major surgery. It's going to be painful for a while, and when you're in pain, you need to say something." She tied the cable to the railing of the bed, placing the button in Hiccup's hand. "Now that your awake, you can use this if the pain gets too bad. It'll give you an extra dose," she explained. "You can press it three times in an hour. I'd recommend pressing it now, because I need to change your bandages."

Hiccup did as he was told. As Lucy collected up the things she needed, Hiccup's face and posture slowly relaxed. Astrid hadn't realised how tense he'd been up to that point.

"I see you managed to get your dad out of here," the nurse made light conversation as she checked she had everything.

"Yeah," with the pain gone, exhaustion had hit Hiccup like a freight train. He'd let his eyes drift shut, his voice was laced with sleep. "He's gone to check into a hotel. I told him to get some rest."

"It's about time. Now," Lucy turned back to the bed. "Would you like your girlfriend to stay for this?"

Hiccup managed to wrench his eyes open, staring groggily at Astrid, confusion obvious across his face. "Girlfriend?"

Astrid blushed. "It didn't actually say I was your girlfriend," she told him. "Snotlout's mum assumed and I… didn't correct her."

Hiccup let out an amused huff. "Girlfriend. I like it." His was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "Stay… please." It was almost a whisper.

Astrid took Hiccup's hand, squeezing gently.

"So how did you two meet?" The nurse drew back the covers and began to unwrap the bandages. She directed the question at Astrid, but Hiccup was the one who answered.

"Work together." Hiccup grit his teeth as Lucy reached the last layer of the bandages. "'strid's a vet."

"I'm not quite a vet," Astrid corrected him. "But I've almost finished my training." She caught sight of what was left of Hiccup's left leg. It was an angry mess of healing tissue, all swollen and puffy.

"'t's bad?" Hiccup kept his eyes closed, but his hand tightened around Astrid's.

"You had surgery less than two days ago," Lucy reminded him. "These things don't heal overnight." She began cleaning out the wound. "You've still got a lingering infection, but trust me, it is looking a lot better."

She redressed the wound and set the covers back over Hiccup. He'd finally succumbed to the exhaustion, drifting off to sleep.

Astrid watched as nurse cleaned up and disposed of the old bandages. "Can I ask a question?" She gave Hiccup's fingers a brief squeeze then set his hand back down on the bed. "What happens now?"

Lucy sized the young woman up. She didn't want to scare Astrid off with how hard this was going to be, but she didn't want to sugar coat it either.

"Now?" she echoed. "Now is the hardest part. When I said these things don't heal over night, I wasn't kidding. Recovery is going to take weeks, months, years even. It's going to be hard."

"Hiccup is strong," Astrid sounded confident, but did she really know him well enough to make this judgement? She'd seen how determined he'd been with Toothless's care. Would he have that same determination for his own recovery? "What's the next step?"

"That's up to- Hiccup?" Lucy smiled again at the nickname. "His doctor wants to keep him here until the infection clears up, then he'll most likely get transferred to a rehab facility. There'll be physio, he'll meet with a prosthetist, and depending on how quickly the swelling goes down he'll get fitted for a prosthetic leg."

"Okay," Astrid was nodding to herself, taking it all in. "Okay- that's… it's a lot to take in. I don't even know where to begin."

"You can begin just by being there for him." The nurse checked her watch, she needed to move on to her next patient. "He's going to need all the support he can get."

...

Hiccup dozed off and on for the rest of the day. His doctors and nurses came by. Vitals were monitored, blood was taken at one point. Sometimes Hiccup was awake for it. Sometimes he wasn't.

Stoick returned to the hospital around lunch time.

The conversation between Astrid and Stoick was stilted, having exhausted most conversation topics the previous evening.

Astrid was relieved to see Hiccup stirring around five o'clock. She'd had a lot to think during the awkward silences that had stretched through the afternoon.

"Hey Hiccup." Astrid stood to move closer to the bed.

"Astrid?" He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, shifting to make himself more comfortable.

"Hey, so-" she hesitated. "I need to head back to Berk." Astrid didn't really want to go. She wanted to stay. Lucy's words rang clearly in her mind. But the aquarium couldn't run without someone to care for the animals. If anything happened to them, Astrid was sure Hiccup would blame himself for keeping her away. For the time being, this was the best way she knew how to support him; by making sure that Toothless and Stormfly and all the other animals would be there when he finally returned to Berk. For that, she needed to go home.

Hiccup looked thoughtful and a little disappointed. The drugs he was on made it difficult for him to hide his emotions. It took him a while to respond.

"I understand," he told her tiredly. "You've got your job and I've been keeping you." The small smile he plastered on his face felt forced. "Hopefully I'll be back soon too."

"Definitely," Astrid's smile seemed much more genuine. "Don't worry, you can't get rid of me that easily. I'll be back to visit you," she promised.

She gathered he bag slowly. Really, she should have been on the road ages ago, but she'd wanted to wait until Hiccup woke so that she could talk to him, rather than disappear while he was sleeping.

She lingered in the doorway. Hiccup had already drifted off again, so with a quick nod to Stoick, she left.

...

It was late when Astrid got back to Berk.

She was relieved to find that Ruff had either gone out, or had gone to bed. The house was quiet. The hospital had been so noisy, which in hindsight Astrid found odd. She would have expected silence so that patients could sleep, but the ward had been a buzz of soft footsteps, and squeaking wheels as beds were moved. Quiet moments were interrupted by the beep of machines and the ringing of alarms as people fought for life in the other rooms.

Astrid's bedroom was eerily quiet in comparison.

She fell into bed, taking a moment to kick her shoes off before dragging her covers over her body. She didn't think she'd sleep, her thoughts were too busy, but she drifted off quickly.

* * *

So, it's time to move the story along. Back to Berk we go! Once again THANK YOU to everyone who is reading this. I love you all!


End file.
